According to the results of a new poll, 59 percent of Americans are very concerned by the issue of illegal immigration. These statistics are in line with similar polls conducted by Gallup over the last 17 years, except for a five-year period between 2006 and 2011, when almost two-thirds of Americans expressed their worry.
Every March, Gallup poses the question about the level of worry Americans have over several issues facing the US, as part of an annual Environment poll. Illegal immigration usually comes in the lower half of those concerns, even at the peak of concern in 2006 and 2008. There was a significant increase in illegal immigration to the US between 2000 and 2005, and the level of attention to the issue increased by both government leaders and the media.
A bipartisan bill on immigration failed to pass the Senate in 2007, after which worry over the issue appeared to recede, in the wake of economic problems caused by the financial recession and a decline in the level of illegal immigration. But it is still a major issue in politics and was a cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s election campaign, and continues to be one of the most important policies of his administration.
Public concern has now returned to the level it was at before 2006, with around 58 percent of Americans very concerned about the issue between the years 2000 and 2005.