Most Americans woefully underestimate the true scale of illegal immigration into the US

Some 75% of Americans think less than 1 million illegal immigrants entered the United States last year, while the true figure is estimated at 2.75 million

editor: REMIX NEWS
Migrants cross the U.S.-Mexico border from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and turn themselves into U.S. Border Patrol agents, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)

Almost 9 in 10 Americans grossly underestimated the true extent of the U.S.’ illegal immigration crisis last year, according to the latest polling.

The December Harvard CAPS / Harris Poll, published on Friday, showed that 75 percent of Americans believe that less than 1 million immigrants enter the country illegally every year, far from the actual reported figure of 2.75 million for this year up until September.

A total of 37 percent of respondents put the illegal immigration figure at less than 250,000, underestimating the true figure by a factor of more than 10.

Just 13 percent put the figure at over 2 million each year, revealing that most Americans simply aren’t aware of the true extent of the immigration crisis predominantly on the country’s southern border.

Even with the majority of Americans being blissfully unaware of the ongoing problem with illegal immigration, most remain concerned about the topic of immigration and, in particular, are worried about the effects of Biden’s immigration policies, the polling shows.

Two-thirds (67 percent) think that the Biden administration’s immigration policies have encouraged illegal immigration, and 57 percent believe they have increased the flow of drugs and crime into the United States.

In a follow-up question, where the respondents were informed of the 2.75 million figure, two-thirds (67 percent) called on the U.S. government to issue stricter policies to reduce the flow of illegal immigrants into the country, while 33 percent wanted to continue with the implementation of the U.S.’ current immigration policies.

Commenting on the polling, billionaire Twitter owner Elon Musk asked: “Why is this never in the news?”

.
tend: 1711639538.4659