Majority disapproves of Biden’s handling of immigration at border: poll

More than half of U.S. adults questioned said they disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the surge in Central American migrants, particularly young unaccompanied children, at the border with Mexico, according to a survey published early Sunday.

In the Washington Post/ABC News poll, 53 percent of respondents said they disapprove at least somewhat of the job Biden has done managing the rising number of immigrants and asylum-seekers arriving at the border, while 37 percent approved. Nearly half– 44 percent — strongly disapproved.

Sixty-four percent of Democrats approve of Biden’s handling of the immigration situation at the border, compared to 10 percent of Republicans. 

The findings follow weeks of pressure on the administration from both GOP critics who say the president’s reversal of former president Trump’s policies, including the so-called “remain in Mexico” policy, are contributing to the rise in migrants, as well as critics on the left who say the Biden administration is going back on campaign promises to help undocumented immigrants and releasing children from detention centers.

They also come ahead of the president’s speech to a joint session of Congress later this week marking his first 100 days in office, where he is likely to address the issue as well.

The administration has placed Vice President Harris in charge of immigration, last week she announced the rollout of a plan to address various issues in Central America that officials believe are driving the migrant crisis.

Biden scored highest in the new poll on his efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic with 64 percent of respondents approving. Just more than half – 52 percent – approved of his work on the economy.

The Washington Post/ABC poll was conducted between April 18-21 with responses from 1,007 U.S. adults. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.