Most Americans disapprove of Biden immigration executive order, as nearly half want to keep border wall
About 55 per cent of Americans oppose recent executive order related to deporting immigrants
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Louise Thomas
Editor
A majority of Americans disapprove of one of President Joe Biden's immigration executive order, and nearly half are opposed to his administration dismantling the US-Mexico border wall.
In his first weeks of office, Mr Biden signed an executive order that would "reduce the deportation of those here illegally who have committed crimes such as DUIs that are not national security related."
But a poll conducted in late February by Harvard University and Harris Insights and Analytics found that 55 per cent of Americans were against the executive order.
This executive order was tied as the most controversial one among Americans with an order he signed that would "require schools to let biological boys who identify as girls to participate in girls’ sports, and vice versa” also receiving 55 per cent disapproval.
The poll also asked respondents their thoughts on whether the Biden administration should deconstruct the US-Mexico border wall first created under the Trump administration. It found that 47 per cent of Americans were against deconstructing the wall.
Read more: Follow live updates from the Biden administration
Some of Mr Biden's other immigration-related executive orders have fared better among the public compared to others.
A Morning Consult poll found that 60 per cent of Americans approve of Mr Biden creating a task force that would reunite children and parents who were separated at the border under the Trump administration. Also 55 per cent of voters supported the Biden administration directing a review of all Donald Trump-era immigration policies.
Immigration has been found to be America's most polarising topic, according to new polling from Populace.
Voters were asked to rank 55 issues from most important to least important in the Populace poll, and it found that Trump voters listed being "open to immigration" as number 52 on the priority list compared to Biden voters ranking it as number 27.
This polarisation continued with Trump voters ranking "securing national borders" as their second most important priority for the country, while Biden voters only placed it at number 31 on their list.
Then Trump voters placed restricting immigration as number three in priority, but Biden voters placed it as number 46 on their priority list for the country.
The polling underscores difficulties the Biden administration and lawmakers will have to pass immigration reform amid stark differences between voters across the country.
While Mr Biden's immigration policies face some scrutiny, the Harvard University and Harris Insights and Analytics poll found that 73 per cent of voters supported the president's $1.9trn American Rescue Plan to address the Covid-19 pandemic.
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