4 in 10 support Biden order to secure border: Survey

Forty percent of Americans support President Biden’s executive order to limit asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a new national poll released Wednesday.

The Monmouth University poll found just 27 percent opposed the order, with the remaining third of respondents undecided. 

The order goes into effect when the seven-day average of crossings passes 2,500, which is under the current level. Senior administration officials framed the order as a response to congressional inaction on immigration after a bipartisan framework in the Senate was blocked by Republicans for a second time.

Democrats in Washington have been divided over the order, with progressive Democrats criticizing it. Republicans including Speaker Mike Johnson (La.) have criticized it for not going farther. The order is also likely to be met with legal challenges.

Among respondents to the Monmouth poll, it was better received by Republicans.

About 44 percent of Republicans approve of the executive order to 40 percent of Democrats and 38 percent of independents. 

Just under half of survey respondents, 46 percent, said the executive order doesn’t go far enough, while just 17 percent said it went too far. 

“Biden will never be able to satisfy Republicans on border policy,” Monmouth polling director Patrick Murray said in a statement. “The real question is whether he can neutralize this issue among independents without alienating certain Democrats.” 

“These initial public opinion results suggest he may have achieved some of that, but it’s not a clear political win by any stretch,” he added.

The poll also found that Biden’s approval rating fell slightly compared to the last tally in April, though is generally in line with figures of the last year. About 38 percent of respondents said they approve of his job performance, compared to 42 percent in April.

The Monmouth University survey polled about 1,100 adults with a 3.8 percent margin of error over the course of last week.