Americans' satisfaction with current immigration levels has reached a record high, with only five percent of Americans saying they want to increase the number of immigrants coming into the United States - and seven times as many wanting to decrease it.
According to the American Immigration Council, federal law allows for 675,000 permanent immigrants to be admitted into the United States per year, including a recently-increased 110,000-person limit on the number of refugees. These figures don't include large numbers of non-immigrants allowed into the U.S. annually, including students, tourists and temporary workers.
A new Gallup poll shows that a record high of 41 percent of Americans say they're happy with current immigration levels, up from 30 percent midway through 2016.
Gallup notes that it’s likely this increase in overall satisfaction with our immigrant numbers “is a result of support for Trump's proposed changes to immigration policy.”
Still, 53 percent of Americans say they’re aren’t yet satisfied with our current immigration levels. Of those, 36 percent say they want less immigration into the United States. Another 12 percent say they’re dissatisfied with the current system, but that immigration levels should stay the same.
Only five percent of respondents said they think the U.S. should admit higher numbers of immigrants.
Broken down by party, Gallup notes that 65 percent of Democrats say they’re happy with the number of immigrants currently being admitted into the U.S., compared with just 19 percent of Republicans who say the same. Conversely, 62 percent of Republicans think the United States should admit fewer immigrants, while only 35 percent of Independents and 8 percent of Democrats agree.
Overall satisfaction with our current immigration levels has risen across all of Gallup’s polled subgroups, including political parties (Republicans, Independents and Democrats), political ideologies (including conservatives, moderates and liberals) and racial backgrounds (which included non-whites and non-Hispanic whites).