It’s the crime, stupid.
That’s all I could think when I saw the latest numbers from our newest survey at The Argument, where we polled voters on their attitudes about immigration — and the policies that may get them to support more of it.
Contrary to what many may think, Americans are not inherently anti-immigration. In many cases, voters have clear and positive impressions of the contributions immigrants have made, both to the country and to their local communities. But support for immigration has still seen a marked dip since Donald Trump’s first term.
Why? Here’s a big reason: A nontrivial chunk of American voters are linking immigration to crime.
When it comes to immigration’s impact on the economy (+11), culture (+22), and overall in their local communities (+14), Americans view the impact of immigration positively. But when it comes to public safety (-16), it’s a different story altogether.
Just 21% of Americans think immigration has had a positive impact when it comes to public safety in their communities, while 37% think that the impact has been negative. That makes it the only tested dimension on which the public has a net-negative view of immigration’s local impact.