77% of Likely Voters Think Illegal Immigration is a Serious Problem

Last Monday, Rasmussen released a poll of likely voters showing that 77% now believe illegal immigration is a “serious” problem, with 51% saying it is “very serious.” (Rasmussen Reports, May 4, 2015) Only 19% believe illegal immigration is not a serious problem, with only 3% indicating it is “not at all” serious. (Id.)

In addition, the new poll shows that voters’ preferred solution to this serious problem is enforcement instead of amnesty. Sixty-three percent say that gaining control of the border is more important than “legalizing the status of undocumented workers already living in the United States,” the highest since December 2011. (Id.) Only 30% of likely voters believe legalization is more important than border security, the lowest in two years. (Id.) Of those, 83% of Republicans and 65% of unaffiliated voters prioritize border security. (Id.) Only among Democratic voters do more people believe legalization is more important, and even they are narrowly spilt, with 42% prioritizing border security and 48% prioritizing legalization. (Id.)

Most voters also believe amnesty will make the problem worse. Fifty-eight percent believe that providing “a pathway to citizenship” to current illegal aliens would just encourage more illegal immigration: 72% of Republicans, 63% of unaffiliated voters, and 40% of Democrats. (Id.) Meanwhile, more voters than ever, 62%, believe the U.S. is not deporting illegal aliens aggressively enough. (Id.)