A controversial executive order by President Biden that aims to shut down migrant crossings at the southern border has so far failed to win over voters who want tougher action on illegal immigration.
A Monmouth University poll released this week found that about 40% of voters favor the order, while 27% oppose it, and just under half (46%) say it isn’t tough enough when it comes to illegal immigration.
Only about 17% say the order is too tough, while 31% say the order is about right.
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Biden announced the order last week to temporarily suspend the entry of migrants across the southern border once the number of daily encounters exceeds 2,500 a day over seven days.
It’s accompanied by a rule to apply a higher standard that migrants must meet for initial asylum screenings.
“Today, I’m moving past Republican obstruction and using executive authorities available to me as president to do what I can on my own to address the border,” Biden said in a speech announcing the move.
The move brought criticism from some Democrats who thought the order too strict, and from Republicans who say it doesn’t do enough to address the crisis at the border, for which they blame the Biden administration’s policies. The administration says Congress has failed to fix a “broken” immigration system. The order also brought a threat of a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Monmouth University poll found that Biden actually has more Republicans (44%) who favor the order than Democrats (40%) and independents (38%). However, Republicans who favor the order overwhelmingly say it isn’t tough enough (73%).
Of independents who back the order, 52% say it isn’t tough enough, while among those who oppose it, 55% say it is too tough. Of Democrats who oppose it, 82% say it is too tough, while of those who support it, 69% say it is about right.
The poll was conducted by telephone from June 6 to 10, 2024, with 1,106 adults in the United States.
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The poll shows the complexities of dealing with the border crisis for Biden, facing pressure from both those who want to see tough action and those among his base who oppose such measures. Polling has frequently shown that he is doing poorly among voters on border security.
“Biden will never be able to satisfy Republicans on border policy. The real question is whether he can neutralize this issue among independents without alienating certain Democrats. These initial public opinion results suggest he may have achieved some of that, but it’s not a clear political win by any stretch,” Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
The poll found overall that about 38% of Americans approve of Biden’s job performance, while 58% disapprove, down slightly from two months ago, but within the range of his ratings since September, where the lowest was a 34% approval in September.
Meanwhile, Biden has also reportedly been considering a measure to grant “parole in place” for spouses of U.S. citizens, potentially as a way to blunt criticism coming from liberal activists.
“Today, I have spoken about what we need to do to secure the border. In the weeks ahead – and I mean the weeks ahead – I will speak to how we can make our immigration system more fair and more just,” he said in his remarks.
A White House spokesperson told Fox News last week that the administration “continues to explore a series of policy options, and we remain committed to taking action to address our broken immigration system.”
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report
