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The immigration crisis continues to affect Americans as well as the delicate health situation generated by the coronavirus pandemic.
COVID-19 infected migrants are being released into the country without quarantine and this has been perceived as catastrophic by the American population.
For this same reason, 53% of Americans disapprove of the work Joe Biden has done to solve the immigration crisis at the southern border, according to an NPR/Marist poll.
Although 50% approve of the overall Biden-Harris administration, as well as the management of the pandemic and the economy, the U.S. South is experiencing a very serious situation and the numbers work against the Democratic administration.
Looking at the numbers, we can see that opinions are not monolithic for the Democrats.
Sixty-six percent of respondents who identify themselves as Democrats approve of immigration management, while 23% do not.
In this same spectrum, independents with Democratic tendencies do not differ much from this opinion. Sixty-three percent are in favor of his administration, compared to 25% who do not and 12% who do not know.
In contrast, on immigration, Republicans disapprove of the work of the Biden-Harris administration by 89%. On the pandemic, a majority still disapprove of the administration, although it is down to 61%, compared to 31% who approve.
On the economy, Republicans again unite in disapproving of the Democratic administration’s economic direction at 82%, compared to 91% of Democrats who approve.
Southern American dissapprove Biden’s handling of the immigration crisis
However, it can also be noted that the Sun Belt (those states in the southern U.S.) disapprove of Biden’s immigration work, since they are the hardest hit by the crisis. In the South, 55% consider his work negative and in the West, 47% disapprove.
Meanwhile, 59% of whites believe that the current administration is not doing a good job. Latinos are evenly divided, 43% disapprove and the other exact portion approve, while 15% are undecided.
Across age groups, the numbers barely fluctuate. Respondents under 45 disapprove of Biden on immigration by 52%, while those over 45 disapprove by 53%.
ABC poll is even worse
In a different poll than NPR’s released this week, the numbers are worse. Fifty-seven percent of those polled by ABC/Ipsos disapprove of Biden on immigration.
Fifty-four percent consider the situation at the border a crisis, while 42 percent thought it was a problem, not a crisis, and a minuscule 4 percent do not consider it a problem.
Rafael Valera, Venezuelan, student of Political Science, political exile in São Paulo, Brazil since 2017 // Rafael Valera, venezolano, es estudiante de Ciencias Políticas y exiliado político en São Paulo, Brasil desde 2017