Poll finds two-thirds disapprove of Obama’s handling of immigration

More than two-thirds disapprove of President Obama’s handling of immigration as Washington struggles to address the surge in unaccompanied child migrants illegally crossing the border.

An Associated Press-GFK poll released Tuesday found 31 percent approve of Obama’s management of the issue, with 68 percent disapproving. 

{mosads}Obama’s approval rating on immigration has dropped to its lowest level this year, falling 7 points since May. In December his approval on the issue stood at 40 percent. 

The president also took a hit among Hispanics, with only 29 percent approving of his handling of the issue, down 13 points since May. 

Other polls, however, show that the immigration numbers have not dragged down the president’s overall approval rating, which has been stuck in the low 40s for most of the year. 

An increasing number of people are describing illegal immigration as an extremely serious problem as more than 57,000 unaccompanied minors have been detained crossing the border from Mexico, many of them from Central America.

Sixty-seven percent say illegal immigration is extremely serious, up 14 points since May. 

Although 51 percent continue to support granting illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, that number has dropped 4 points in the past few months. 

By a narrow margin, people trust Republicans more than Democrats to handle the issue. Twenty-nine percent pick Republicans, while 25 percent pick Democrats. Another 29 percent trust neither party; 16 percent trust both. 

Republicans are set to vote on a $659 million package to deal with the surge in minors, however, the funding is much lower than the $3.7 million the administration requested and includes a provision to change a human trafficking law that would help speed up the deportation process, something most Democrats oppose. 

The online poll surveyed 1,044 people from July 24 to 28 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percent.