Support for using the military on the Mexican border to help stop illegal immigration continues to decline, even as President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard to deploy there, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll released Tuesday.
According to the survey, 47 percent of likely voters favor the use of the military along the border with Mexico, while 43 percent are opposed and 10 percent are undecided.
The percentage of those backing the use of the military on the border is significantly down from 67 percent when the question was first asked in 2010. Those who liked the idea in 2015 was still at 57 percent.
Other results from the survey include:
- Among voters who strongly approve of the job Trump is doing, 94 percent support sending troops to the border, while 82 percent of those who strongly disapprove of Trump's job performance are opposed.
- 74 percent of Republicans favor using the military on the border to prevent illegal immigration, but only 25 percent of Democrats and 44 percent of unaffiliated voters agree.
- 64 percent of voters who want the military on the border say it will make the United States safer. Among those who are opposed, 56 percent think it would have no impact, while 34 percent say it would make the country less safe.
- Voter attitudes about illegal immigration have softened since Trump's election. For example, in September, 48 percent said those now in the country illegally should only be granted legal status after the border is secure, while three years earlier 68 percent voiced that opinion. Voters who favor their legalization right away has gone up to 34 percent from only 16 percent three years earlier.
The survey of 1,000 likely voters was conducted April 4-5. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points, with a 95 percent level of confidence.
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