Biden’s Big Immigration Decision Is the Least Popular Move of His Presidency

A majority of U.S. voters oppose President Joe Biden’s plan to repeal Title 42, the immigration policy implemented by the Trump administration during the pandemic that allows the United States to swiftly expel illegal immigrants, according to a new poll.

The Morning Consult/Politico poll, which surveyed more than 2,000 registered voters this week, found 56 percent of all voters disagree with the administration’s decision to rescind Title 42. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week announced it plans to terminate the policy on May 23.

A 42 percent plurality of all voters said they “strongly disapprove” of the administration’s plan. Most Democrats surveyed said they approved, though nearly a third said they disapproved.

The move to end Title 42 is the Biden administration’s most unpopular decision yet, according to Morning Consult, which has tracked dozens of the administration’s policy moves. Immigration is one of Biden’s most vulnerable issue areas, the polling service found, with 55 percent disapproving of the president’s handling of it.

The decision to roll back Trump-era immigration policies comes as the country is seeing record numbers of illegal border crossings. Last year saw a record 1.6 million migrant apprehensions, and Customs and Border Protection officials expect that number to spike upwards of 2.3 million in 2022.