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While there is a dearth of data showing the border crisis is costing Biden heavily in polls, Biden’s plan to dramatically expand immigration and resettle record-breaking numbers of individuals from Latin America through the refugee program is wildly out of step with public opinion.
Not only have the massive spikes in illegal border crossings strained border patrol resources and posed threats to national security, but the Biden Administration’s response is to vastly expand the number of individuals entering the U.S. under the refugee program.
According to CBS News, the Biden Administration plans to “resettle” as many as 125,000 refugees in the year ahead, with almost 50,000 coming from Latin America alone. This number represents the highest refugee resettlement target since the early 1990’s and is not remotely in-line with public preferences.
Biden’s refugee resettlement plan is a reversal of Trump-era efforts to scale down the number of refugees entering the country, largely due to strains on U.S. resources and national security concerns. However, Biden has flipped that script and is well on the way to expanding the U.S. refugee program to unprecedented levels despite public resistance.
In Trump’s last year in office, a little over 10,000 individuals were admitted using refugee status, but Biden more than doubled that number by 2022. By the end of FY 2023 the Biden Administration will resettle as many as 60,000 individuals and will likely fully reach its target of 125,000 individuals in FY 2024.
The problem with this lofty resettlement agenda, aside from concerns over proper vetting of individuals and strains on U.S. resources, is the majority of Americans do not want immigration or refugee programs expanded.
October polling from YouGov shows Americans are deeply concerned about the toll illegal immigration is taking on the country, and broadly reject the idea of expanding the refugee program.
The poll asks Americans directly whether the United States should or should not accept refugees from Syria, Gaza, El Salvador, and Ukraine, and Americans strongly oppose accepting refugees from all countries except Ukraine.
Americans don’t believe the U.S. should accept refugees from El Salvador by a fifteen-percentage point margin, 45% to 30%, even though El Salvador is one of the regions the Biden Administration is greatly expanding entry from.
Americans don’t believe the U.S. should accept refugees from Syria by a fourteen-percentage point margin, 46% to 32%, and Americans reject the idea of accepting refugees from Gaza by a thirteen-percentage point margin, 46% to 33%. Americans are more open to accepting individuals from Ukraine and do so by a seventeen-percentage point margin, 50% to 33%.
According to the poll, only around a third of Americans (34%) say immigration makes the United States better off, and support for expanding the refugee program is even lower. Just 29% of Americans say refugees improve the U.S. compared to 39% who say they do not, a ten-percentage point difference.
There are strong partisan differences, with Republicans saying 64% to 12% refugees make the U.S. worse, while Democrats say 45% to 17%, refugees make the U.S. better. Independents side with Republicans, saying 36% to 28% that refugees do not improve the U.S.
Notably, even on the matter of legal immigration Americans are becoming weary. Just 32% of the country wants to increase legal immigration, while the majority (57%) want numbers reduced or kept the same. Even among Democrats support for increasing legal immigration is at just 40%.
These numbers come on top of polling from Reuters/ Ipsos that showed Americans say 48% to 37% that immigration is contributing to increased difficulties for native-born Americans.
Concerns about elevated crime and a slew of drugs and other smuggled items streaming over the southern border are major drivers behind this shift in sentiment on immigration. Strains on U.S. resources are also a concern.
According to Gallup, the share of Americans who say immigration is a good thing has dropped precipitously by nine percentage points in three years since Biden took office, from 77% in 2020 to 68% today.
Americans are increasingly skeptical of immigration and have deep concerns about President Biden’s attempt to expand the U.S. refugee program. With public opinion favoring a more controlled approach to immigration and asylum seekers, a law-and-order candidate like former President Trump running on tighter border security and increased scrutiny of refugee applicants could be increasingly appealing to Republicans and swing voters.

Manzanita Miller is an associate analyst at Americans for Limited Government Foundation.

KAPLAN — Friday’s Non-Select Division II playoff game at Jennings will be a new experience for many of Kaplan High’s starting football players.
It’s an experience the Pirates and head coach Cory Brodie are looking forward to after Kaplan narrowly missed the playoffs in 2022.
“Not making it last year, a lot of these guys didn’t play in the (playoff) game two years ago,” Brodie said. “For most of our starters, it’s their first playoff game, their first playoff experience. It’s always good to be playing bonus football, so we’re excited for the opportunity.”
The Pirates are 7-3 overall and earned the No. 23 seed for the playoffs. Kaplan finished 4-1 in District 5-3A, dropping a close 18-14 decision to Abbeville this past Friday in a battle of teams that were unbeaten in district.
“I thought it was a pretty even game,” Brodie said. “I think we kind of dominated the first half, and they had a big fourth quarter. We also turned the ball over twice late in that game. It came down to what I thought it was — the team that made the fewer mistakes won. They had one turnover and we had two.
“It was just a really good high school football game. I expect the same thing again in the first round of the playoffs. The more we’re tested like that, the better it’s going to be for us down the road. I think it’s a good test for us.”
Brodie said the loss stung for a bit but the players have done a good job of moving on to preparations for the playoffs.
“When you get to keep playing, at this point we know teams around the area aren’t playing in the playoffs, so we’ve got to be appreciative of what we’re doing and staying focused on the goal in hand,” he said. “We’re a 23 seed this year, and last year North Vermilion was a 23 seed and made a run to the quarterfinals. We’re just taking it one game at a time and one matchup at a time and not looking too far ahead or looking behind us is definitely the focus this week.”
Kaplan’s three losses have been by a combined 11 points, and three of their wins have been by a combined 11 points, so the Pirates have been tested already.
“We’re 7-3 and we’re 11 points away from being 10-0,” Brodie said. “The real difference from last year is we’ve won some close games this year. The last two years we found a way to lose those close games. We’ve lost some close games too but also we beat Erath by 3 and Crowley by 4, and then beat St. Martinville with 50 seconds left. I think Friday night’s going to be another example of two teams that are going to battle it out. Expect (a score) more in the low 20s and running the football. They’re pretty similar to Abbeville with their style.”
Both teams will try to run the ball. Kaplan’s offense is led by wingback Daylon Landry with 1,060 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, second in the parish rushing totals, and 261 yards and two TDs on 11 receptions, third in the parish in receiving yards. Fullback Jed Devoltz, who missed a few games with an injury, is fifth in the parish with 823 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
Quarterback Sabe David has thrown for 578 yards and six touchdowns, fourth in the parish in passing yards. Brayden Bearb (273 yards, 6 TDs rushing, 113 yards, 1 TD receiving), Wyatt Hebert (230 yards, 2 TDs rushing), Dane Frick (175 yards, 1 TD rushing) and André Marceaux (105 yards, 1 TD receiving) add to a potent offense for the Pirates.
Jennings forces teams to play sound defense, the coach said, much like North Vermilion and Abbeville, two teams the Pirates have played this year.
“They’re an option team,” he said. “They have a really good fullback over there that has created some problems for some people. The biggest thing about them is they’ve got a coach that’s won a couple of state championships at Kinder, and his first year going 7-3, obviously he’s doing a great job over there.
“They’re just a super disciplined team that if we don’t match that level of mental toughness and discipline, they can run away with the game,” Brodie said. “It’ll be a good test for us seeing where we’re at, preparing for a team that’s usually in contention for making a run in the playoffs.”
Brodie said he’s glad to see Kaplan having only a 45 minute drive to get to the first-round game. The Pirates were nearly paired up with Franklin Parish, a 3 1/2 hour drive away in Winnsboro.
“Being closer, I think it definitely benefits us just because we’re going to get more of our fans in the stands,” Brodie said. “Being in Jennings is a blessing just because a lot of people who want to go to the game wouldn’t have been able to drive three or four hours will be able to travel 45 minutes down the road.”
The winner of Friday’s game advances to the winner of the opening round game between No. 7 Leesville and No. 26 St. Martinville.

Abbeville High School students were given the opportunity to gain practical knowledge in animal husbandry and understand the intricacies of food production from farm to table.
The slaughtering of 22 chickens, which were raised by the students, was observed by the Agriculture I and II classes, as well as other students.
For seven weeks, Shane Theall and Thomas Stelly, both agriculture teachers, collaborated to teach Abbeville High School students about the process of raising chickens for slaughter.
Over the course of seven weeks, a cohort of agriculture students have been tending to 22 Broiler chickens, providing them with daily sustenance and hydration.
Of the 22 chickens, 20 were generously sponsored by AHS teachers, who will receive the meat from their designated chicken after it has been prepared by the students.
The birds were killed by Stelly and Theall, and then some students prepared the meat for the sponsoring teacher by cutting, cleaning, and bagging it.
Abbeville students have been raising and cleaning chickens for the last two years. Stelly wanted to give AHS agriculture students the chance to raise a farm animal.
According to Stelly, in the past, Ag students had to raise farm animals at home, which was a challenge for AHS students.
He sought a fast and affordable method to raise and process the birds at school, thus prompting his search. The Broiler chickens, being fast-growing and genetically bred to grow faster, were purchased as chicks and could reach full growth in just seven weeks.
After only seven weeks, their weight ranged from seven to 10 pounds before being cleaned.
AHS senior Hunner Hickok weighed and helped clean chickens.
According to Hickok, the experience was very informative.
“It is a really good learning eperience for people who do not know how to it or never it,” said Hickok.
During the class, Theall, the Ag instructor, provided a demonstration on removing the organs of a chicken.
He showcased the heart, lungs, liver, stomach, and digestive system to the students.
The purpose of this activity was to educate the students on the process of food breakdown and digestion in chickens.
To assess their understanding, Theall engaged the students in a quiz on the chicken’s anatomy.
Sophomore TaCarra Stewart displayed great enthusiasm as she answered numerous questions about the digestive system.
Stewart emphasized the significance of this knowledge due to an upcoming test, and expressed that the chance to witness the subject matter firsthand added to her fascination.
“I have a test on this, so I need to know it,” said Stewert.

The identity of the person who was struck by a vehicle and the person responsible for running him over were successfully determined by the Abbeville Police Department.
The name of the man hit is Kameron Bergeron, 24, who is from New Iberia but lives in Leroy. The city police had to fingerprint Bergeron while he lay unconscious in a Lafayette hospital to get a name.
The name of the driver is Khamthout Xayalath, a 59-year-old Vietnamese female from New Iberia.
According to Abbeville Police Chief Mike Hardy, Xayalath did not know she hit a person until she learned the Abbeville police were looking for her.
Hardy said Xayalath said she saw what she thought was a pile of clothes in the road and went over it.
It was Kameron Bergeron lying down in the road, said Hardy.
Hardy said no charges will be filed against Xayalath.
The accident occurred on the morning of Oct. 31, on Hwy. 14, near Tractor Supply Company.
The Abbeville Police Department used video cameras along Hwy. 14 from Abbeville to Erath to capture footage of a white SUV.
They were able to identify the license plate of the vehicle, which was filmed
passing through Erath shortly after Bergeron was hit.
After running the license plate, they were able to determine the name of the driver.
On Tuesday morning, the female driver was brought in for questioning at the Abbeville Police Department.
Currently, Bergeron is still in a Lafayette hospital, battling a broken femur and a shattered ankle on his left leg.
In addition, he is also facing a brain bleed and potential internal injuries, which has kept him confined to a regular hospital room.
Although he started physical therapy this week, he is unable to bear any weight on his left leg.
Tuesday morning, Bergeron’s father, Marcus, and his stepmom, Andi Louviere Bergeron, who live in Arkansas, are caring for Kameron.
They are furious with the driver who fled the scene after hitting their son.
Andi expressed their anger, said, “I can’t believe the driver didn’t even stop to offer help. It’s infuriating to think that someone could hit a person and then just leave them to suffer on the road. Why would they do that?”
Andi mentioned that another driver, who was behind the white SUV, did stop to assist Kameron. Unfortunately, the Bergeron family never learned the name of this kind driver, but they are eager to express their gratitude for stopping and preventing further traffic congestion.
“We want to meet and hug you for helping,” said Andi.
Marcus remained with his son until he regained consciousness after the accident, but unfortunately, Kameron has no recollection of what happened.
Marcus is struggling to come to terms with the fact that his son was involved in an accident and wants to know how it happened.
“It is so hard in my mind that this happened to my son,” said Marcus. “We want to know how this happens. How did my son end up in the middle of the road?”