Republican Party’s Immigration Policies Place Immigration as One of the Top Two Political Issues, Finds Beacon-Shaw Poll

When it comes to the 2024 election cycle, the economy remains a major concern, but a new poll shows a significant increase in the importance of the southern border as a voting issue.

According to the latest Fox News poll, immigration is now the No. 2 issue for registered voters, following closely behind the economy. The poll found that 79% of voters view the southern border as at least a major problem, with 45% saying it is a major problem and 34% labeling it as an emergency.

While there has been a 14-point drop in those viewing the border as an emergency since October, there has also been an 8-point increase in those saying the border should be the No. 1 priority.

Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducted the poll along with Democrat Chris Anderson, stated, “Immigration is fast becoming the paradigmatic example of government’s incompetence. There is no coherent policy to secure the border, and neither is there any immediate prospect for dealing with millions of undocumented workers in the U.S. The images from the southern border are both heartbreaking and appalling.”

According to the poll, potential solutions include:

• 79% favor increasing the number of border agents.
• 67% favor deporting illegal immigrants.
• 64% favor penalizing business that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
• 63% favor allowing illegals to stay and apply for legal status.
• 58% favor using the U.S. military at the border.
• 54% favor building a wall.

However, there are some partisan divides in these solutions:

• 80% of Democrats favor allowing illegals to apply for legal status, compared to just 40% of Republicans.
• 82% of Republicans favor sending troops to the border, compared to 36% of Democrats.
• 88% of Republicans favor building the wall, compared to 25% of Democrats.
• 89% of Republicans favor deporting illegals, compared to 48% of Democrats.

While Democrats (27%) are in agreement with Republicans (40%) that the economy is the No. 1 issue, only 5% of Democrats said immigration is the top issue, ranking it behind guns (16%), climate change (13%), voting rights (12%), and abortion (10%). None of these liberal priorities are near the level of concern for Republicans.

The poll also comes as House Republicans seek to tie border funding to foreign funding for Ukraine and Israel, sparking concerns about the potential impact on important international funding needs.

The poll was conducted by Democrat pollster Beacon Research and Republican pollster Shaw & Company Research, surveying 1,007 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.