Republicans Overwhelmingly Oppose Current Immigration Levels

Jose Nino | Feb 15, 2022



According to a poll released by Gallup on February 14, 2022, the majority of Republicans (69%) oppose expanding legal immigration. Only 3% of Republicans believe it should be increased. Another 15% of Republicans have no preference on the matter.

58% of Americans are dissatisfied with the level of immigration into the U.S. 34% are satisfied with the current level of immigration.

The 58% of the dissatisfied includes 35% of Americans who would prefer that immigration be decreased, 9% increased, and 14% who want immigration levels to stay the same. The Gallup report noted “The proportion who want less immigration has nearly doubled from 19% in 2021 and is well above where it was in 2019 (23%) and 2020 (25%). At the same time, calls for more immigration into the country have dropped.”

Most of the strong anti-immigration sentiments is largely driven by republican voters’ ever-increasing hostility towards the concept.

One of the major changes Donald Trump made in policy discourse in 2016 and during his presidency was the call for reducing legal migration. Trump made a big stink about gutting chain migration and birthright citizenship over the last decade.

With the Republican voter base becoming increasingly hostile towards immigration, it stands to reason that right-wing populists campaign very hard on the issue. Being politically tone-deaf often leads to political irrelevance, so taking on the immigration issue head-on is generally a smart move.

Republicans Overwhelmingly Oppose Current Immigration Levels - Big League Politics