A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center showed the results of the perception of Latinos in the United States regarding the problems at the border with Mexico, as well as their opinions on possible solutions to the migrant crisis.

The poll found that a majority of Latinos consider the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border to be a major problem or crisis (75 percent), and believe the federal government is failing to address this issue (74 percent). However, Latinos have different views than non-Latinos on effective responses to the crisis.

While Latinos support measures such as speeding up asylum decisions and creating more forms of legal migration, they are less likely to support increased deportations and expanding the border wall as solutions. By contrast, a majority of non-Latin Americans support more deportations, but less than half agree with expanding the wall.

“33% of Hispanics say increasing deportations of people who are in the country illegally would help the border situation, compared with 55% among other U.S. adults. […] 28% of Latinos say placing more severe penalties on businesses if they hire people who are not legally allowed to work in the U.S. would help. About half (48%) of non-Hispanics share the view. […] 26% of Hispanics say substantially expanding the wall along the border with Mexico would help the situation, while 45% of non-Hispanics say the same”.

The report highlights that immigration has become a major issue in the 2024 election, with Republicans gaining support among Latino voters. The investigation was also about seeking opinions about the motives of the people behind the migration. Despite citing multiple reasons for seeking to cross the border in the U.S. and Mexico, poor economic conditions in migrants' countries of origin and good opportunities in the U.S. are cited as the main motivators: “Large majorities of Latinos view bad economic conditions in migrants’ home countries (77%) and good economic opportunities in the U.S. […] (75%) as major reasons why many migrants are seeking to enter the U.S. at the border. […] About two-thirds of Hispanics say violence in migrants’ home countries (68%) is a major reason for the border situation”.

While a sizable portion of Latin Americans seem skeptical (30%) about the effectiveness of expanding the wall on the border with Mexico, a significant majority of non-Latinos (45%) believe that such a measure could improve the situation. In addition, the survey highlights discrepancies in opinion on imposing harsher sanctions on companies that hire illegal workers, with a higher proportion of non-Latinos (48%) supporting this approach compared to Latinos (28%).

The context of the poll is timely, given the increase in migration at the U.S. southern border and the growing importance of the issue of immigration among American voters in an election year. However, the survey results suggest that there is a significant divide between Latino and non-Latino communities regarding solutions to border and immigration challenges.

The significant sample of survey participants and the relatively low margin of error contribute to the credibility of the results. It is important to note that the survey was conducted in January 2024, and perceptions may have evolved since then, especially considering the dynamism of issues related to immigration and politics in the United States.

“The Pew survey included 5,140 U.S. adults, including 879 Hispanics. It was conducted from Jan. 16 to 21, 2024, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.7 percentage points”.