(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Mainstream media used to compare Donald Trump to Hitler for his strong anti-illegal immigration stance.
But now, mass deportations look to be a centrist position. At least that’s what a new poll from Axios suggests.
“Half of Americans—including 42% of Democrats—say they’d support mass deportations of undocumented immigrants,” Axios reported Thursday.
“And 30% of Democrats—as well as 46% of Republicans—now say they’d end birthright citizenship, something guaranteed under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.”
EXCLUSIVE POLL: Americans are open to Trump's harshest immigration plans.
Half — including 42% of Democrats — say they'd support mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, per a new Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll. https://t.co/fXPKxpGlQj pic.twitter.com/UIWn2SRKn7
— Axios (@axios) April 25, 2024
The shift towards Trump’s immigration stance comes as Democrat-controlled cities are overwhelmed by the influx of migrants.
In New York, for example, more than 180,000 illegal immigrants have travelled there since the spring of 2022, according to the mayor’s office. More than 64,000 are in the city’s care through its more than 200 emergency shelter sites.
Public resources have apparently become so strained that NYC’s city officials and advocates for illegal immigrants reached an agreement on Mayor Eric Adams’ bid to suspend the city’s “ right to shelter ” policy—essentially ending the city’s blanket requirement to provide shelter for adult immigrants without any time limits. Now, officials can decide whether to allow a migrant to stay in a shelter beyond 30 days on a case-by-case basis.
Meanwhile, in Denver, a city official recently begged illegal immigrants in the city to leave and move to New York City instead, warning that they would “suffer” if they stayed.
“The opportunities are over,” said Andres Carrera, Denver’s “newcomer” communications liaison, in a recent video obtained by local news.
“New York gives you more. Chicago gives you more. So I suggest you go there where there is longer-term shelter. There are also more job opportunities there.”
The public opinion shift has Democrats now trying to outflank Republicans and convince voters they can address problems at the U.S. border with Mexico.
“Democrats aren’t going to win on immigration this year, but they have to get closer to a draw on the issue to get to a place where people take them seriously,” said Lanae Erickson, a senior vice president at Third Way, a centrist Democrat think tank.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
