Growing number of Latino Democrats support more ‘control’ of border: Poll

EXCLUSIVE — More Latino Democrats agree there needs to be more control of the southern border with Mexico compared to a year ago, according to a poll.

The percentage of Latino Democrats who support more “control” of the border increased by 8 points, from 55% last July to 63% this May, according to the Public Opinion Strategies poll conducted for Koch-funded Latino advocacy organization, LIBRE Initiative.

The trend toward backing more control of the border was even more pronounced among Democratic-leaning Latinos, increasing by 20 points, from 47% last July to 67% in May. A majority of independent voters also agree regarding more control of the border, but support decreased by four points, from 68% to 64% during the last year.

“Much like the rest of the country, Hispanics view the legal immigration system as broken (86% agree) and also say that the country needs to do what is necessary to control our southern border in order to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into our country (73%),” Public Opinion Strategies partner Jim Hobart wrote in a memo to LIBRE Initiative obtained by the Washington Examiner.

“Notably, the support for controlling our southern border is bipartisan, with north of 60% of Hispanic Democrats in favor of doing what is necessary to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into this country,” Hobart said.

At the same time, a majority of Latinos, more broadly, are for immigration reforms, including creating more legal immigration pathways (87%), in addition to providing DACA recipients, Dreamers, and other undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children a pathway to citizenship (81%).

“In terms of specific immigration policies, the strongest support is for creating secure regional processing centers where people can apply for refugee status outside of the United States, rather than at the border itself,” Hobart wrote. “Hispanic voters are also supportive of bringing back the Remain in Mexico program, investing in improved working conditions and higher salaries for border patrol agents, and creating additional facilities to process undocumented border crossers.”

The poll, which surveyed 1,200 Latino voters nationwide from May 2-7 online and through text-to-web, underscores why President Joe Biden last month announced he was placing a moratorium on illegal immigrants receiving asylum before two weeks later rolling out policies under which illegal immigrants married to a citizen who have been in the country for more than 10 years can apply for permanent residence in the U.S. and the visa process for graduates of stateside colleges and institutions will be eased.

Support for Democrats among Latinos has decreased since the 2020 election when members of the party promoted socialism, an ideology with which some voters have personal experience. But with persistently poor perceptions of the economy, Biden has not been able to improve his standing with the demographic, though the LIBRE Initiative-Public Opinion Strategies poll did find that Democrats outperformed Republicans on a generic congressional ballot, 49% to 37%. Inflation, the economy, and jobs remained the most pressing issues for respondents during the last year — they are now followed by illegal immigration and border security before threats to democracy.

For example, one-time Democratic New York state Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., who has endorsed Biden’s Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, before this November’s election has emphasized how Latinos are “angry.”

“Hispanics are turning,” Diaz told radio show host John Catsimatidis Sunday. “Hispanics no longer support the Democratic Party as strong[ly] as they used to … This is going to be a rude awakening for the Democratic Party.”

To that end, although an average of 67% of polling respondents consider the country to be headed in the wrong direction, according to RealClearPolitics, the LIBRE Initiative-Public Opinion Strategies poll found 72% of Latino voters were of the same opinion, with 28% contending it was on the right track. In July last year, those numbers were 71% and 29%. Regarding whether they consider themselves better off than they were four years ago, 49% told pollsters they are worse off, 27% better off, and 25% about the same.

“Hispanic voters overwhelmingly say that the American Dream is harder to achieve now than
before. 88% of Hispanics agree with this statement, and 62% strongly agree,” Hobart wrote.
“This is also impacting Hispanics hopes for their own children. Eighty-two percent are
concerned that America is declining and that their children will not have the opportunities they
had hoped for.”

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“Asked why it will be harder to achieve that American Dream that they still believe in, the focus
in open-ended responses is on inflation, the cost of living, and housing prices,” he added.

The poll, fielded before Trump’s New York hush money trial conviction and Biden’s bad debate, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.23 points.