Nearly Two-Thirds See ‘Invasion’ at U.S.-Mexico Border

As Congress and President Joe Biden work to negotiate border security legislation, voters overwhelmingly view the situation at America’s southern border as an invasion. 

A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and The National Pulse finds that 65% of Likely U.S. Voters believe it is accurate to describe the current situation with migrants at the border with Mexico as an “invasion” of the United States, including 43% who say such a description is Very Accurate. Thirty-one percent (31%) disagree, including 15% who think it’s Not At All Accurate to call the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border an invasion. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

House Speaker Mike Johnson led a group of Republican congress members visiting the border in Texas last week, pressuring Biden and the Democrat-controlled Senate to agree to a new border security bill. Seventy percent (70%) of voters consider border security a vital national security interest for the United States these days, while 17% disagree and 13% are not sure.

Seventy-two percent (72%) believe the current situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is a crisis, while 20% don’t think so.

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The survey of 1,044 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on January 2-4, 2023 by Rasmussen Reports and The National Pulse. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

security interest for the United States these days, while 17% disagree and 13% are not sure.

Seventy-two percent (72%) believe the current situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is a crisis, while 20% don’t think so.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it’s in the news, it’s in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,044 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on January 2-4, 2023 by Rasmussen Reports and The National Pulse. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Majorities of every political category – 84% of Republicans, 60% of Democrats and 74% of voters not affiliated with either major party – believe the current situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is a crisis.

Similarly, 80% of Republicans, 55% of Democrats and 60% of unaffiliated voters say it is at least somewhat accurate to describe the border situation as an “invasion” of the United States. Most Republicans consider such a description Very Accurate.

Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Republicans, 63% of Democrat and 72% of unaffiliated voters think border security is a vital national security interest for the United States these days.

Among voters who view the U.S.-Mexico border situation as a crisis, 82% think it’s at least somewhat accurate to describe it as an “invasion” of the United States. Among those who consider border security to be a vital national security interest, 87% say it’s at least somewhat accurate to call the current border situation an invasion.

There is almost no “gender gap” on these questions, with just slightly more men (73%) than women voters (68%) saying border security is a vital national security interest.

Majorities of every racial category – 60% of whites, 74% of black voters and 73% of other minorities – agree that it’s at least somewhat accurate to describe the current situation with migrants at the border with Mexico as an “invasion” of the United States.

Voters under 40 are somewhat less likely than their elders to say it’s Very Accurate to describe the border situation as an invasion.

Breaking down the electorate by income categories, voters in the highest bracket – earning more than $200,000 a year – are least likely to consider the U.S.-Mexico border situation to be an “invasion.” 

Biden’s most enthusiastic supporters are least likely to view the border situation as an invasion. Among voters who Strongly Approve of Biden’s job performance as president, only 36% think “invasion” is an accurate description of the current situation with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. By contrast, among voters who Strongly Disapprove of Biden’s performance, 90% say “invasion” is an accurate description.

With the 2024 presidential election approaching, most voters still see the economy as more important than national security or immigration-related issues.

For the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, a majority of voters now consider the war to be a stalemate.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to the public as well as Platinum Members.

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