Here’s where Americans agree when it comes to immigration

(NewsNation) — With Title 42 over, America’s border policy remains stuck in partisan gridlock. But there are a handful of places most Americans agree, according to recent immigration polls.

• An overwhelming majority of Americans — including 85% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans — support “highly skilled” people coming to live and work in the United States, according to a Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and Morning Consult survey conducted in December.
• A majority of both political parties — 82% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans — support protecting individuals and families who are fleeing “serious persecution and torture,” according to a February survey from the National Immigration Forum.
• Three-quarters of the country also favor bipartisan reforms that “strengthen border security, allow immigrants brought to the United States as children to earn citizenship, and ensure a legal, reliable workforce for America’s farmers and ranchers,” according to the National Immigration Forum poll.

Theresa Cardinal Brown, the senior advisor for immigration and border policy at BPC, said support for highly skilled immigrants has remained consistent over time and doesn’t seem to change based on activity along the border.

These agreements on immigration are happening while Americans, overall, have become less satisfied with the level of immigration recently.

In 2021, just 19% of those surveyed by Gallup were dissatisfied with the level of immigration into the U.S. and wanted to see it decrease.

Now, that number stands at 40%, according to the latest survey in January.

Other polls have revealed similar trends.

U.S. adults were twice as likely to say the number of immigrants allowed in the U.S. should be reduced (44%) rather than increased (20%), according to an Associated Press/NORC poll in February.

Since President Joe Biden took office, migrant encounters at the southern border have swelled to record highs.

Last week, the number of illegal crossings surged shortly before the end of Title 42, a pandemic-era border policy that allowed agents to turn away migrants on public health grounds. But since the policy has been lifted, widespread fears of an overwhelming influx haven’t come to pass.

It remains to be seen whether the Biden Administration’s new asylum rules will reduce illegal crossings in the months ahead.

Last week, the GOP-controlled House passed a border security package that will increase the number of border agents and resume construction of the border wall. It’s unclear how the legislation will fare in the Senate, but Biden has vowed to veto the bill if it reaches his desk.

Americans may agree on certain aspects of immigration reform, but there’s no consensus on the best way to solve the country’s border issues.

In September, NewsNation found Americans favor different approaches when it comes to the southern border specifically.

A quarter of Americans think building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border would be the best way to deter illegal immigration, a NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ survey. That was the most popular solution.

Twenty percent of the country thinks more funding for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was the best way forward.

The same amount favored expanding the availability of green cards and visas.