According to a new poll released Tuesday, Americans remain divided on how many immigrants and asylum seekers should enter the country.
44% of the survey, implemented by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Inquiry, believes that so many immigrants should not be allowed into the United States. 34%, that the amount should remain the same. 20%, that immigration should increase.
The percentages are almost the same in terms of asylum. 43% say the United States should reduce the number of applicants. However, there is a slight increase among those who believe asylum should increase, 24%, while 30% said it should stay the same, the survey found.
Democrats are pretty split on both issues. They are more likely to support the status quo on immigration, with 42% saying immigration should stay the same, compared to 27% saying it should increase or decrease.
However, Democrats are slightly more likely to favor an increase in asylum, with 37% voicing support for an increase and 36% approving status quo. 26% said there should be a decrease in the number of applicants.
Public support for immigration, in general, appears to have declined since the early days of the Biden administration.
A March 2021 AP-NORC poll found that 41% of Americans supported the status quo about immigration. 28% thought it should increase and 29% that it should decrease.
Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for its response to an increased influx of immigrants at the US-Mexico border. There were more than 250,000 encounters at the southern border in December, the highest point of the Biden presidency, according to data from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Border gatherings dropped substantially in January to around 150,000, which the administration has attributed to various new policies.
The AP-NORC survey was conducted February 16-20 with 1,247 adults. It has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.
