Nearly two thirds of Americans believe illegal immigration is a real crisis, and not a media narrative, according to a poll published on Thursday.
The Axios survey conducted by The Harris Poll also found that 51% of Americans would support mass deportations of illegal immigrants, which included 42% of Democrats, 46% of independents and 68% of Republicans.
Illegal immigration remains a top issue for voters in the upcoming election, amid a record number of border crossings since President Biden took office.
The Biden administration ranks higher than any other factor in who is to blame for the border crisis, the survey found, as 32% believe it is "most responsible."
7.2M ILLEGALS ENTERED THE US UNDER BIDEN ADMIN, AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN POPULATION OF 36 STATES
Nearly 7.3 million migrants have illegally crossed the southwest border since President Biden took office in 2021, a number greater than the population of 36 individual states, Fox News reported in February.
"I think they're just sending a message to politicians: 'Get this under control,'" chairman of The Harris Poll and former Clinton pollster Mark Penn told Axios, adding that the results should serve as a warning to Biden.
"Efforts to shift responsibility for the issue to Trump are not going to work," Penn said of the president.
Both Biden and former President Donald Trump visited the southern border in late February, following news of multiple crimes allegedly carried out by illegal immigrants.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED IN ‘HORRIFIC’ CHILD SEX CRIME ARRESTED BY ICE AFTER POLICE LET HIM GO
Both Biden and Trump have blamed each other for the ongoing border crisis, as bills on border security remain tied up in Congress. A spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested to Fox News Digital that the Democrat-controlled Senate won't pass any border security legislation this year. With Republicans and Democrats still far apart on the issue, House GOP leaders are relying on Trump to take back the White House next year for any meaningful border policy changes to take place, the spokesperson said.
The poll found that 21% of Americans cited "increased crime rates, drugs and violence" as their biggest concern about the crisis. Eighteen percent said "the additional costs to taxpayers," and 17% cited a "risk of terrorism and national security."
Americans generally support legal immigration, as 58% support "expanding legal pathways for orderly immigration. Forty-six percent believe that "asylum seekers should be protected if their cases are legitimate."
Axios' poll was conducted online from March 29-31, April 5-7,and April 12-14. "The data for this population is accurate to within +/- 1.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level," the poll said.
A Monmouth University poll released in February found that 61% of Americans say illegal immigration is a "very serious problem."
The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
President Biden has repeatedly criticized the immigration system as "broken" and was harshly critical of Republicans who blocked a bipartisan border bill earlier this year, saying it was done for political reasons to assuage Trump. The White House called the bill's measures the "toughest and fairest reforms to secure the border we have had in decades."
Republicans shot back that such rhetoric was "preposterous" and Biden owned the problem.
Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
