The report recently published by the Pew Research Center addressed the significant increase in the number of migrants seeking to enter the United States through the border with Mexico, highlighting its political and social implications. The study presents a detailed analysis of Americans' perceptions and opinions about the immigration situation, as well as proposed policies to deal with the problem.

There is a consensus, according to the survey, that economic factors, such as poor conditions in migrants' countries of origin and better opportunities in the United States, are the main reasons for the increase in migratory flow. However, there are significant partisan divergences regarding other factors, such as violence in the countries of origin.

“About two-thirds of Americans (65%) say violence in migrants’ home countries is a major reason for why a large number of immigrants have come to the border. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are 30 percentage points more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to cite this as a major reason (79% vs. 49%). By contrast, 76% of Republicans say the belief that U.S. immigration policies will make it easy to stay in the country once they arrive is a major factor. About half as many Democrats (39%) say the same”.

In addition, the report highlights that a majority of Americans consider the large number of migrants at the border to be a crisis or a major problem. Partisan views on this issue also vary, with Republicans (70%) more likely to describe the situation as a crisis compared to Democrats (22%).

The report also examines Americans’ concerns about the influx of migrants, including economic burdens and security concerns. Notably, a majority of Republicans believe that the increase in migration is related to an increase in crime in the United States, while a majority of Democrats disagree with this statement.

According to the report, “22% point to the economic burdens associated with the migrant influx, including the strains migrants place on social services and other government resources. […] 22% also cite security concerns. Many of these responses focus on crime (10%), terrorism (10%) and drugs (3%)”.

Regarding the federal government’s assessments of the situation on the U.S.-Mexico border, the data show that the ratings are “extraordinarily low”.

“Just 18% say the U.S. government is doing a good job dealing with the large number of migrants at the border, while 80% say it is doing a bad job, including 45% who say it is doing a very bad job. […] Republicans’ views are overwhelmingly negative (89% say it’s doing a bad job), as they have been since Joe Biden became president. […] 73% of Democrats also give the government negative ratings, the highest share recorded during Biden’s presidency”.

Regarding policies to improve the situation at the border, it is noteworthy that there is not a single policy proposal that the majority of Americans support. However, increasing the number of judges and immigration officials to speed up asylum decisions and creating more opportunities for legal immigration are proposals that receive broad support, especially among Democrats.

Finally, the report notes that the debate over border wall expansion remains a highly contentious issue between Republicans and Democrats, with Republicans’ support for wall expansion substantially larger than Democrats’ support.