Ira Mehlman, media director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), says the poll, conducted by The Wall Street Journal, affirms that the illegal alien crisis is the top issue on voters' minds as November nears.
Nationally, 20% of voters rank it as their biggest concern, outpacing even bread-and-butter issues like the state of the economy or inflation. Mehlman says this is bad news for President Joe Biden, as 65% of voters disapprove of his handling of the issue and 71% believe the situation at the border is "heading in the wrong direction."
"The American public is not happy with the way it is being handled by this administration," Mehlman summarizes. "They see record numbers of people coming across the border illegally, they see the havoc that it is wreaking on communities all across the country, and they are also seeing the refusal of anybody in Washington who has the authority to do so to stop this madness."
"Understandably, 'not happy' would be an understatement about the way the situation is being handled here," he adds.
That disapproval is even worse in the seven swing states that are likely to decide the outcome of the presidential election. In Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, voters rated immigration as one of their top two issues, and 72% of respondents in those states said they see immigration and border issues getting worse.
