Most Hispanic U.S. voters support closing the southern border in response to the ongoing immigration crisis, according to a new poll.
SO WHAT
So much for the conventional political wisdom that being tough on immigration repels Latino votes.
THE NUMBERS
The Convention of States Action and Trafalgar Group poll found that 65% of U.S. Hispanics believe the border should be sealed until the record-high surge of migrants into the country is under control.
That’s 10 percentage points higher than the average among the general U.S. public (55%) and eight points higher than among whites (57%).
- Nearly 90% of Republicans support the proposed border shutdown compared to 22% of Democrats, per the poll.
THE BIG PICTURE
There has long been bipartisan consensus that a liberal immigration agenda is key to wooing Hispanics, the largest U.S. minority group, while hardline rhetoric and policies are sure to turn them off.
- In a June 2021 analysis for the Brookings Institution, policy expert Gabriel Sanchez argued that the 2022 midterm elections present a “golden opportunity” for Democrats to win over Hispanic voters with a focus on immigration reform.
But Hispanic voters’ dramatic swing toward the MAGA-dominated GOP has called that view into question.
- According to a Wall Street Journal poll published in March, Hispanics plan to vote for a Republican candidate over a Democrat in November by 9 percentage points, a stunning 53-point partisan shift since 2012.
- Meanwhile, activist organizations have started to scrub the word “Latinx” from their communications, after polling showed only 3% of Hispanics use the woke term and 40% find it offensive.
- “Do I think that Democrats’ heads should be on fire over this issue?” Ivan Zapien, a Democratic lobbyist and former executive director at the Hispanic Leadership Council of the Democratic National Committee, told The Hill in December. “Yeah, I do.”