Latino Support Jumps For Trump’s Border Wall, Deportations

Former President Donald Trump has pledged to take decisive action to secure the U.S.-Mexico border if he wins the upcoming presidential election, a promise that resonates with a crucial voting group — Latinos.

Recent findings from the Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll indicate that Latino support for building a border wall and deporting undocumented immigrants has surged by more than 10 percentage points since 2021.

According to the research, Trump's emphasis on heightened border security and possibly his anti-immigrant rhetoric has even influenced Latinos with ties to immigration.

These results underscore the Republican Party's growing appeal among Latinos and highlight the rising frustration over illegal immigration, which has become a top issue for many voters this election season.

Trump has vowed that if he returns to the White House, he will intensify border security measures and initiate large-scale deportations, potentially affecting up to a million people.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has said he is willing to "close the border" in response to any spike in crossings, following a political setback on the issue of border security.

Axios summarized the findings as follows:

• 42% of Latino adults now support constructing a wall or fence along the entire U.S.-Mexico border, a 12-point increase since December 2021.
• 38% support deporting all undocumented immigrants in the U.S., up from 28% in 2021.
• Additionally, 64% of Latinos favor giving the president the authority to close U.S. borders in the event of a surge in immigration. This is the first time this question has been included in the survey.

Support for the wall is highest among Cuban Americans (58%), who tend to be more conservative and have benefited from special immigration policies dating back to the Cold War era. On the other hand, support is lowest among Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans (37%), with only 43% of Central Americans backing the wall.

Despite the increase in those who believe undocumented immigrants should be deported, a large majority (65%) of Latinos still support offering a path to citizenship for those in the U.S. illegally. Furthermore, 59% are in favor of granting asylum to refugees fleeing violence and crime in Latin America.

Chris Jackson, Ipsos pollster and senior vice president, noted to Axios that the survey "shows that hardline immigration positions are gaining incremental popularity" among Latinos.

This shift comes as critics target Vice President Kamala Harris for her handling of the immigration issue since being tasked with addressing the root causes of illegal immigration in 2021.

Brandon Judd, the recently retired president of the Border Patrol Union, voiced his disappointment with Harris's efforts. "We gave her the policies she needed to implement, but she refused to do so," Judd told Fox News.

Judd’s critique follows President Biden’s announcement that he would not seek re-election and instead endorse Harris as his successor. Critics argue that Harris's lackluster performance on immigration could heavily impact the outcome of the 2024 election.

When Harris was appointed to tackle migration, the Associated Press reported that she was to lead diplomatic efforts with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to develop a long-term strategy to address migration causes. She was also tasked with pressuring these nations to enforce stronger immigration policies and secure their own borders.

Biden stated at the time, "The vice president has agreed — among the many other things I have her leading — to lead our diplomatic effort to work with those nations to accept returnees and enhance border enforcement."

Harris acknowledged the challenge, saying, "Needless to say, the work will not be easy, but it is important work."

Fox News later reported that in 2021, Harris negotiated a memorandum with Mexico that resulted in the U.S. committing $4 billion to Central American countries to address the root causes of migration. Private companies pledged an additional $5.2 billion in investments.

However, an NBC News report published in 2023 revealed that Harris’s involvement has since waned, noting that her last visit to the border or neighboring countries was in January 2022.

Despite the decline in migration from the Northern Triangle, government data shows illegal crossings reached record highs in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with migrants from around the world flocking to the U.S. southern border. For instance, more than 30,000 Chinese migrants were apprehended crossing the southern border in 2023.