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With the presidential election less than three months away, immigration policy remains one of the most contentious issues on the campaign trail. The focal point of the divisive debate is Texas, where a new survey finds immigration remains highly polarized along partisan lines.
"The State of Texas is at the center of ongoing policy debates on immigration,” said Agustin Vallejo, research associate professor at Hobby School. “Due to its extensive border with Mexico, the historical cultural exchange between the two countries and the cosmopolitan nature of its major cities, immigration policy remains a constant topic of discussion here.”
The latest Texas Trends survey, conducted by the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston and the Barbara Jordan – Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University, finds Republican respondents generally support more restrictive measures while Democratic respondents favor less restrictive policies.
“Overall, more people approve of how Texas Governor Greg Abbott is handling the border than President Biden,” said Pablo Pinto, professor and director of the Hobby School’s Center for Public Policy. “Nearly 57% of respondents strongly or somewhat approve of Abbott’s immigration policies compared to 36% for Biden. Meanwhile, nearly 67% strongly or somewhat disapprove of Biden’s policies compared to 43% for Abbott.”
Among Republicans, 55% strongly approve of Abbott’s policies and 74% strongly disapprove of Biden’s policies. Among Democrats, 27% strongly approve of his policies while 54% strongly disapprove of Abbott’s policies. Abbott also gets the edge among Independents, with 24% strongly approving his policies compared to just 4.5% for Biden.
“When looking through a partisan lens, the results are about what you’d expect them to be,” Vallejo said. “But the rate at which Independents support Abbott’s policies over Biden’s is a little surprising, with Abbott’s strong disapproval at 31% compared to Biden’s at 55%.”
The survey also found stark generational differences on immigration policy with older respondents supporting more restrictive policies and younger respondents supporting less restrictive ones.
“The Silent Generation (people born between 1928-45) and baby boomers overwhelmingly support Abbott’s policies more than Biden’s,” Pinto said. “But that gap shrinks some when it comes to younger generations—Gen X, millennials and Gen Z—where Abbott loses some support while Biden gains some.”
The survey also looked at the issue from a racial and ethnic standpoint. Abbott’s policies receive strong approval over Biden's from whites (36.7% to 10.9%) and Hispanics (23.4% to 11.9%), while Blacks more strongly approve of Biden's policies (20.9% to 18.2%).
The survey results also varied by location. For example, in Dallas-Fort Worth, 60.5% strongly or somewhat support Abbott's handling of the border compared to 42.1% for Biden; in Houston, 53.3% strongly or somewhat support Abbott's policies compared to 34.9% for Biden; and in Austin, Abbott's approval is 48.7%, compared to Biden's 47.9%.
“Overall, the data indicates that Abbott receives high support for his policies across all regions surveyed but Biden's support is very close to Abbott's in Austin and south Texas,” Vallejo said.
Finally, the survey gauged support among Texans for different types of border policies. More than 61% of all respondents support a policy to spend $3.5 billion in tax dollars on border security. The second policy—making illegal immigration a state crime and empowering Texas law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants—received slightly more support but had stronger backing (40.6%) compared to the first policy (27%).
“While national and state candidates continue to define their immigration strategies ahead of the November election, they cannot ignore what voters are saying,” Pinto said.
“Texans hold diverse opinions on immigration and border control.
Understanding these dynamics is essential as they navigate this contentious issue.”