Fox News Poll: 87% consider situation at southern border a problem

Immigration is a top issue to American voters this year, as a record number say the situation at the southern border is a major problem or an outright emergency, according to the latest Fox News national survey released Thursday.

Nearly 9 in 10 voters say the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is an emergency (44%) or a major problem (43%). That’s an increase since February, when about 8 in 10 felt it was an emergency (41%) or major problem (37%).

Concern with the border increased most notably among those under age 30 (+20 points), Black voters (+19), Democrats (+14), Hispanic voters (+12), and women (+12).

In January 2019, when the question was first asked during the Trump administration, 22% said the border was an emergency. That’s doubled to 44% today.

More blame the Biden administration’s lack of enforcement at the border (71% a great deal or some) than former President Trump and the Senate GOP for failed immigration legislation (57%).

Trump and Senate Republicans opposed a deal for immigration reform in February and May of this year. Biden started rolling back Trump-era immigration policies during his first months in office.

There is partisan agreement when it comes to pointing the finger at Biden: at least half of Democrats (50%), Republicans (91%), and Independents (72%) feel the administration is at fault.

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However, when it comes to Trump’s and Senate Republicans’ role, Democrats (86%) are much more likely than Republicans (29%) and Independents (52%) to assign blame.

Immigration is also Biden’s worst issue among the three job performance issues tested: 35% approve vs. 62% disapprove. He does slightly better on foreign policy (39% approve, 58% disapprove) and the economy (37%, 61%).

The survey also asks about policy ideas related to immigration and border security and finds 63% favor deporting illegal immigrants back to their home countries. That’s down from 67% in 2023, but nowhere near the 52% low favoring it in 2015, the first time it was asked.

Another 6 in 10 (58%) favor allowing illegal immigrants who have jobs in the U.S. to apply for legal status, a record low.  

The least favorable is allowing illegal immigrants to have driver’s licenses: 30% favor vs. 67% oppose.

Immigration and the presidential race 

At 14%, immigration is tied in second place with abortion as the most important issue to voters this election, far behind the economy, which comes in first with 38%. All other issues tested are in single digits. 

The economy, immigration, and abortion have been the highest priorities for months in national and swing state surveys alike.

And with newly minted Presidential Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump locked in a tight race (49% Harris vs. 50% Trump), these issues could make all the difference.

Harris is seen as better able to handle abortion by a 16-point margin. Trump is seen as better at handling two of the top three issues – by 14 points on immigration and a narrower 6 points on the economy. His largest advantage over Harris is on handling border security -- 19 points.  

In early 2021, Biden tapped Harris to lead White House efforts to tackle the migration challenges at the southern border.

Voters trusted Trump over Biden on the economy by at least 10 points on three of the last four Fox News national polls and Trump generally held double-digit leads on immigration. 

Those prioritizing immigration and the economy favor Trump over Harris in the horserace by 62 and 34 points, respectively, while Harris leads on abortion by 64 points.

Foreign Policy Check-in: Views hold steady on Ukraine, increased concern on Israel-Hamas

Seven in 10 are extremely or very concerned about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is consistent with views since January 2023. At the outset of the war, in the spring of 2022, roughly 8 in 10 were concerned. 

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In contrast to the steady sentiment on Ukraine, concern about the conflict between Israel and Hamas increased to 74%, up 5 points since last month.  Slightly more, 77%, are concerned the war will escalate into a broader regional war. 

Six in 10 voters side with the Israelis (60%) in the conflict, an uptick from 57% in June. Twenty-nine percent support the Palestinians, mostly unchanged since February.

At the start of the war, 68% sided with the Israelis and 18% the Palestinians. 

Although majorities of partisans are worried about each war, Democrats are about equally concerned about Ukraine (80%) and Israel-Hamas (78%) while Republicans and Independents are more concerned about the Middle East than they are about the war with Ukraine and Russia.

Majorities of Republicans (76%) and Independents (53%) side with the Israelis while Democrats are more divided (46% Israelis, 42% Palestinians).

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Conducted August 9-12, 2024 under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,105 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (129) and cellphones (704) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (272). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error associated with results among subgroup is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.