Surprise! Hispanic Americans want border control

When U.S. politicians talk about what Hispanic voters want, they often bring up immigration. Many members of Congress, especially Democrats, assume Hispanic voters want less immigration enforcement and more immigration. In 2020, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez led calls to cut the Border Patrol’s budget to punish them for “inflicting harm on our communities.” By “inflicting harm,” she apparently meant guarding the U.S.-Mexico border and arresting those crossing illegally.
 
Among Republicans, Rep. Mayra Flores symbolizes a new breed of Hispanic officeholders who stand for stricter border enforcement. Ms. Flores, who won a special election in June to represent the 34th Congressional district in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, is the first Republican to represent her area in 150 years, and the first woman born in Mexico to ever enter Congress. She recently called on Congress to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas for failing to enforce immigration laws and causing the border crisis.
 
Which of these women has a better handle on the immigration views of America’s 62 million Hispanics? According to two large new polls of Hispanic likely voters conducted by Rasmussen Reports, Ms. Flores wins by a mile.
 
Fifty-two percent of Hispanic likely voters believe the government is doing “too little to reduce illegal border crossings and visitor overstays.” Only 15% believe the government is doing “too much.” And 25% say the government’s efforts are about right, and 9% aren’t sure.
 
So more than three times as many Hispanic voters think the government is neglecting the border than feel the government is over-policing it. That’s significant!
 
Another question: Should the government require every business to use the federal E-Verify system to make sure new employees can legally work in the U.S.? By a huge margin, 73% to 18%, Hispanic likely voters say yes!
 
Should the approximately 12 million illegal aliens living in the U.S. get amnesty? Hispanics are split on that, with 46% favoring it and 51% opposing it. But when you look at just those who “strongly favor” or “strongly oppose” amnesty, the picture clarifies. Only 24% “strongly” favor such an amnesty, while 36% “strongly” oppose it.
 
Another hot-button issue is chain migration, which is one immigrant getting citizenship and then sponsoring extended family members. When these more distant relatives come in and get their citizenship, they in turn sponsor their siblings and parents, leading to never-ending chains. Rasmussen asked whether immigrants should be able to sponsor extended family members, or should they be able to sponsor only spouses and minor children. By 66% to 27%, Hispanic likely voters were clear: Immigrants should be able to sponsor only spouses and minor children.
 
While Republican members of Congress agree that illegal immigration should be stopped, they become a little more tongue-tied when it comes to legal immigration. Former President Donald Trump wanted to increase legal immigration, he sometimes said. What do America’s Hispanic voters say? Fifty-eight percent say they want to cut legal immigration numbers below the current 1 million a year. Only 15% want to increase the annual number!