President Joe Biden has been hit with a double blow of polls showing Americans think he is to blame for a failed migration deal in Congress.
A record number of migrants have illegally crossed the border from Mexico since Biden took office in 2020, and former President Donald Trump has made it a major focus of his campaign against Biden.
The two polls, one done by Ipsos and another by the Pew Research Center, both showed Americans unhappy with Biden's dealing with the migrant crisis.
It comes as the House approved two articles of impeachment accusing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of not enforcing US immigration laws.
Border Patrol agent stands next to migrants seeking asylum before being returned to Mexico from the US
Reuters
According to a Pew Research Center poll released on Thursday, just 18 per cent of people surveyed said the government is doing a good job dealing with migrants seeking to enter the US at the southern border, while 80 per cent said it is doing a bad job.
Meanwhile the Ipsos poll, which was conducted on February 9-10 asked: "Who do you trust, Joe Biden or Donald Trump, to do a better job handling immigration and the situation at the US-Mexico border?"
The poll of 528 Americans showed 26 per cent of people preferred Joe Biden over 44 per cent for his predecessor, while 26 per cent of people voted for "neither".
The poll also asked: "How much, if at all, do you blame each of the following for Congress not passing legislation intended to decrease the numbers of illegal border crossings at the US-Mexico border?”
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President Biden has been criticised for his immigration policies
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Only 29 per cent of the 528 adult respondents blamed Trump "a great deal." In contrast, 35 per cent blamed Biden "a great deal."
Meanwhile, the Pew Research Center report states that "Americans overwhelmingly fault the government for how it has handled the migrant situation."
More than half of Americans, or 57 per cent, believe the unprecedented influx of migrants is leading to more crime, while 39 per cent responded the border crisis is not having much of an impact on crime.
The Pew Research Center poll was conducted between January 16 and January 21 and surveyed 5,140 US adults.
The pollster noted that 73 per cent of Democrats who gave the government a negative rating on the border is the highest share ever recorded since President Biden, 81, took office.
The polls showed the Americans asked favoured Trump over Biden for dealing with the immigration crisis
Reuters
When asked about policies that could improve the situation of the southern border, 60 per cent said that increasing the number of immigration judges would have a positive effect.
A majority, 56 per cent, feel that creating more opportunities for migrants to legally enter the country would help.
Less than half, 41 per cent, responded that expanding the border wall between the US and Mexico would make the situation better, and only 36 per cent said adding resources to provide safe and sanitary conditions for arriving migrants would be constructive policy.
The number of migrants arrested crossing the southern border illegally dropped by 50 per cent in January from high levels in December, US Customs and Border Protection said on Tuesday, citing seasonal trends and increased enforcement by the US and partner countries.
