A US Border Patrol vehicle stands next to a border wall along the US-Mexico border on December 9, 2021 in Sunland Park, New Mexico.
Credit: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
(CNN) --
With all the attention lately on inflation and its impact on the upcoming midterm elections, we may be overlooking another issue that's gaining traction with the American public: immigration.
In March, more than 4 in 10 Americans told Gallup they were "very concerned" about "illegal immigration," which is how the company framed the issue in its survey.
This figure, which matches that of Gallup's polls last year, is at the high end of its poll results on the subject over the past decade.
This is the situation of immigrants in the US and how the elections could affect them
And considerable concern is primarily on the rise among politically critical independent voters.
In 2018, only 3 in 10 independents said they had a high concern about the issue.
Now that figure stands at 39%.
A US Border Patrol vehicle stands next to a border wall along the US-Mexico border on December 9, 2021 in Sunland Park, New Mexico.
Credit: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
What should be even more concerning to President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress is that these Gallup numbers came before the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ) announced that they would suspend the provision known as Title 42, a regulatory code that allows border agents to reject immigrants who request asylum and that has been in force for that function since March 2020 (and that a judge prevented Biden from finalizing).
What is Title 42?
A border policy that allows rapid deportation and generates debate
"Until there's a plan, you have to have secure borders," Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner told CNN in late March.
"Doing something that could invite doubling, tripling, quadrupling of the numbers at the border, that's not in the best interest of the United States, it's not in the best interest of the administration, or the people who are trying to go through the process."
Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, who chairs the Senate Democrats' campaign arm, shared those concerns.
"Unless we have a well thought out plan, I think it's something that should be reviewed and maybe delayed," he said.
"I'm going to defer judgment on that until I give the administration a chance to fully articulate what that plan is. But I share ... the concerns of some of my colleagues."
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To be clear: Inflation and gas prices, as well as broader concerns about the state and direction of the economy, continue to dominate the conversation for most Americans.
However, immigration, and the administration's ability to control it or not, is also in the conversation in the upcoming elections.
Judging by the polling data, that would make what already looks like a tough election for Democrats even worse.
Maintaining Title 42 Policy Won't Stop Illegal US-Mexico Border Crossings, Officials Warn
US Elections US Immigration