Immigration overtakes inflation as top concern for American voters, poll reveals

The salience of immigration appears to have spiked in recent months after a seven per cent rise compared to the previous month.

The economy and jobs trailed behind in third, with 25 per cent listing it as their primary concern.

Crime and drugs ended up joint fourth with healthcare on just 16 per cent.

Despite the issue of immigration becoming increasingly important to voters, just 17 per cent claimed it had impacted them directly.

Almost two-in-five respondents claimed inflation has had a direct impact.

The consumer price index has been gradually dropping in recent months, down from June 2022’s peak of 9.1 per cent to just 3.4 per cent last month.

However, officials also reported 2,475,669 encounters on the southern border in the fiscal year of 2023.

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There is growing pressure on Joe Biden to deal with the crisis, with 68 per cent of respondents saying the administration should make it tougher to get into the US illegally.

However, 32 per cent voiced support for the current border policies.

The situation could prove beneficial to Donald Trump’s 2024 White House bid.

The 45th President, who was known for his controversial rhetoric, is hoping to become the second Commander-in-Chief to serve two non-consecutive terms in the Oval Office.

He will welcome a separate Harris opinion poll conducted last month which found 60 per cent of respondents miss Trump’s policies on the economy, immigration and crime.

Trump’s illegal immigration policy became a central tenet of his successful 2016 campaign as the 77-year-old pledged to build a wall on the US-Mexican border.

Despite not completing the wall, the number of patrol encounters in 2020 stood at just 405,036.

Biden’s first year in the White House witnessed a spike of 1,662,167, before a second surge to 2,214,652 the following year.

The significance of immigration and other issues appears to have given Trump’s 2024 campaign a boost.

The 45th President, who will likely storm the Grand Old Party nomination after victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, opened up a five-point lead over Biden in the latest Morning Consult opinion poll.

Such a result would likely help Trump flip Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin back into the Republican column.

It could even bring Nevada into play for a GOP nominee for the first time since 2004.

However, Trump is facing a number of legal challenges which could threaten to derail his campaign altogether.