Donald Trump, the former U.S. President, has committed to decisive measures to fortify the U.S.-Mexico border under his potential leadership post the upcoming November’s presidential race. This commitment has garnered enhanced support, particularly from a critical voter populace — Latin Americans. The recent Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll indicates that Latino endorsement for constructing a formidable border wall and mandate deportations for all unauthorized immigrants has witnessed a substantial surge, around 10%, from the last year.
The data suggests, intriguingly, that even those Latinos having direct or indirect ties to immigration seem affected by Trump’s stern stand on boosting border security. These seemingly controversial topics may be reverberating among them, influencing their opinions and preferences. This shifting belief underscores Republicans’ recent strides amongst Latinos, mirroring the undercurrents of dissatisfaction which propelled illegal immigration as a consequential topic amid the election environment.
Trump has declared that should he secure the presidency again, his administration would prioritize stringent border security protocols and systematically expedite mass deportations. He contends that this could potentially affect up to a million individuals. Current President Joe Biden presents a slightly different stand, expressing his readiness to ‘seal the border’ in situations where the border-crossers’ influx experiences spikes, an apparent response to a political blow over border security.
Diving into specifics, the poll reflects that 42% of surveyed Latino adults convey their endorsement for the proposition of a formidable wall or fence spanning the full stretch of the U.S.–Mexico border. This indicates a substantial augmentation from the previous year’s stance, with a leap of 12 percentage points from December 2021.
A growing backing is apparent for the notion of repatriating all undocumented immigrants currently residing in the U.S., with 38% lining up, a significant rise from previous year’s 28%. Alongside, a striking 64% of Latinos favor granting presidential authority to decisively close U.S. boundaries when immigrant influx reaches critical levels. This aspect was posed for the first time in this poll.
In-depth analysis of demographic support shows Cuban Americans leading the pack with 58% backing for wall construction, being traditionally more conservative amongst the Latino community and having enjoyed preferential privileges related to immigration during the Cold War period.
Comparatively, support for a border wall is lowest among individuals of Mexican descent — including immigrants and American-born individuals — at 37%. Similarly, the wall’s support among Central Americans stands at 43%, tying in with the overall increase in Latino support for stricter border security measures.
The fresh poll data also highlights that, trailing inflation and crime, the major concerns for the Latino populace, as they approach elections, are immigration issues and crime incidences. Reflecting a complicated perception of the immigration debate, while there is an accruing belief in the deportation of all unauthorized immigrants, a significant majority — 65% — still favors offering a path to legal citizenship.
Standing alongside this paradox, a massive 59% of the sample pool supports the United States granting asylum to refugees fleeing crime-infested and violence-ridden situations in Latin American regions. These parallel, seemingly conflicting, stances underscore the nuanced and complex attitudes among Latinos towards immigration and asylum practices.
Commenting on the poll trends, Chris Jackson, an Ipsos pollster and senior vice president, opined to Axios that the data ‘reinforces the growing popularity of certain hardline immigration stands’ within the Latino community.
