Hamas terror attacks reignite national security concerns at US southern border
FOX News' Bill Melugin reports Border Patrol agents have apprehended a record number of people on the FBI terror watchlist in FY2023.
This is one of three Fox News Polls released Wednesday. See results of Fox News' polling on support for Israel here and the 2024 presidential race here.
A record number of voters favor building a U.S.-Mexico border wall, with almost half describing the situation there as an emergency, up significantly since 2019.
A new Fox News survey released Wednesday finds 48% think the situation at the southern border is an emergency, up from 27% who felt that way in February 2019 (the last time the question was asked).
The jump in concern comes mainly from Black voters (+27), independents (+26), Democrats (+24), Hispanic voters (+23) and men (+20), with each group being at least 20 points more likely to now say it is an emergency.
Still, there are other issues that larger numbers of voters view as problematic. Six in 10 say inflation (58%) and just over half (52%) point to opioid addiction as emergencies. Nearly half (48%) feel that way about crime, while fewer (39%) see climate change and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (34%) as urgent.
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A new Fox News survey, released Wednesday, finds 48% think the situation at the southern border is an emergency, up from 27% who felt that way in February 2019. (Fox News)
On border security, a high point of 57% favor building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, up from 49% in February.
The increase in support comes mostly from voters over age 65 (+19), Hispanic voters (+14), Black voters (+9), women (+9), Democrats (+8) and Republicans (+7), to name a few.
One of the 2016 campaign promises former President Donald Trump made was the building of a wall on the southern border. However, during his presidency, support for it never reached 50%, while it has hit that level twice since President Biden has been in office (May 2021 and now).
In general, support hasn’t been above 50% since 2010, when it was 53%.
Support for a border wall hasn’t been above 50% since 2010, when it was 53%. (Fox News )
Biden receives his worst ratings on border security to date (30% approve vs. 66% disapprove). Most Republicans (93%) and a large number of independents (75%) disapprove, while a majority of Democrats approves (56%).
Additionally, seven in 10 voters think the current level of security at the border is not strict enough, including a plurality of Democrats (48%) and most Republicans (91%) and independents (82%).
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Seven in 10 voters think the current level of security at the border is not strict enough. (Fox News)
"The images we’ve seen from the Rio Grande River in recent weeks are compelling," says Republican Daron Shaw, who helps conduct the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. "Border security is clearly a problem for the Biden administration and their shift on funding for the wall reflects the strategic need to neutralize the issue in advance of the 2024 elections."
When asked to assess the country’s immigration system in broad terms, most voters feel it has been broken for decades (70%), while a quarter (24%) say it’s only been bad the last few years. Just 4% feel it is working.
Most voters feel the U.S. immigration system has been broken for decades (70%), while a quarter (24%) say it’s only been bad the last few years. Just 4% feel it is working. (Fox News)
"This would be a great time to have a functioning Congress," says Anderson. "The consequences of inaction on immigration reform are inflicting pain in red and blue states and the broad middle of the electorate agrees on a range of reforms that should be no-brainers to Congress."
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A Customs and Border Protection agent walks to a vehicle along the border wall on the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on May 10, 2023. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Majorities of Democrats, independents (73% each) and Republicans (65%) agree the U.S. immigration system has been broken for decades.
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Conducted Oct. 6-9, under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with 1,007 registered voters nationwide who were randomly selected from a voter file and spoke with live interviewers on both landlines and cellphones. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points for all registered voters.