The ringing narrative of the mainstream media is that the concept of a physical barrier on the southern border is both unpopular and unnecessary. However, a recent string of polls in important swing states show that narrative might not be as true as reported.
A survey of 10 congressional districts that voted for president Trump in 2016, but elected a Democrat in 2018, found that a majority of respondents still support the president’s core agenda on immigration. The poll found that 61 percent of voters support the president’s positions on border security, including 53 percent who favor “building a border wall or barrier to improve security between the U.S. and Mexico.
The polling agency, Public Opinion Strategies, conducted the survey for the Republican National Committee. The organization has a strong track record, including a “B” rating from Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight, and has a higher accuracy rate than many major polling agencies, including the Morning Consult, Pew Research, and Gravis Marketing.
The poll also found that voters were more likely to support the president’s immigration agenda when they are educated “about the need for a wall or barrier to improve national security.” In fact, the survey found that voters became 6 percent more likely to support a border barrier after learning more about the border crisis, including that 89 percent of Border Patrol agents believe that a barrier is necessary to secure the border..
Americans are concerned about their security, and they are not blind to the fact that many in Washington seem uninterested in representing their best interests. President Trump rode a promise of true immigration reform into the White House in 2016. It should not come as a shock to anyone that Americans still support that agenda.