TYLER, Texas (KETK) — According to a poll done by the University of Texas at Tyler, 48% of voters in Texas approve of Gov. Greg Abbott’s handling of immigration at the Texas-Mexico border more than President Joe Biden’s, with 27% approval.

Abbott has been quite vocal about his disapproval of Biden’s handling of the Texas-Mexico border. In July 2022, he told KETK News:

“This is Joe Biden’s fault and Joe Biden needs to fix it. The people in Washington, D.C. seem to have a different standard. They think that it’s OK to have the open border situation as long as it remains in places like Texas. We wanted to make sure that because Joe Biden has never come to the border, we want to take the border to Joe Biden and let them understand what we are having to deal with right here.”

Gov. Greg Abbott

Texas’ southern border has been a hot topic among voters with the influx of fentanyl-related incidents happening in the state being attributed to drug smuggling at the border by several politicians. According to the UT Tyler poll, which surveyed 1,190 registered Texas voters, 54% of them think that Texas Republicans are best suited to handle border security.

Abbott vouched for $4.6 billion more in funds that support border security and patrol. 51% of respondents agree that a wall along the Texas-Mexico border is necessary for safety while 34% disagree. 77% of those that agreed identified as Republicans, while 28% of Democrats agreed.

Reports show that the busing of more than 8,000 migrants to New York City and Washington D.C. has cost the State of Texas more than $14 million.

Starting in April 2022, as part of “Operation Lone Star,” Abbott has sent migrants to other parts of the country to ease the burden of the border crisis in Texas. Poll participants were split on support for sending migrants who were processed by Customs and Border Patrol to Washington D.C. by bus. 50% were in support of busing migrants to D.C., while 33% opposed and the remaining 17% were undecided.

“Border security, gun control and education were all identified as the most important policy
concern more often than they were in October. Inflation and reproductive rights continue to be top five issues, but they were mentioned less often,” said Dr. Mark Owens, associate professor of
political science and director of the UT Tyler Center for Opinion Research. “The three issues gaining attention were all listed as emergency items for Gov. Abbott. Voters also seem mixed on whether Texas Republicans are best to move forward on these issues.”