President Joe Biden begins the new year with growing disapproval among Latinos.
Only four out of ten Latinos approve of the president's performance, according to a new poll by the National Public Radio (NPR) and Marista University.
The data shows only 40 percent of Latinos approve of Biden's job as president, 65 percent reject it, and the remaining 5 percent are unsure.
More specific responses show that only 11 percent of Latinos "strongly approve" of Biden and 22 percent approve, although not as strongly. In contrast, only 52 percent of Latinos "strongly disapprove" of Biden and 13 percent disapprove, but not as strongly.
According to analysts, this is a sharp drop in Biden's popularity among Latinos when he has not yet completed a year in office.
By party affiliation, the most significant disapproval for the president is among Republicans, with 86 percent, but highlights the change that independent voters have taken along with Latinos.
Only 20 percent of the Independent party approves of Biden's performance and 9 percent strongly approve, but 50 percent of independents strongly disapprove of it and another 16 percent disapprove less decisively.
Biden has gained popularity with how the pandemic was handled through the promotion of vaccines amid unprecedented infection levels brought by the Omicron variant.
Although inflation and a slow economic recovery can also influence the loss of acceptance of the president, the issue of migration is a priority, especially among Latinos.
This month marks a year since Biden stepped into the White House with the electoral support of Latinos who believed his promise to regulate the immigration status of millions of undocumented immigrants, including dreamers, farmers, and essential workers during the pandemic.
The president also promised to end the anti-immigration measures imposed by the Trump administration.
One year later, all of his promises on migration with the exception of reuniting separated families have failed. There are only two measures from Trump’s administration that remain: the Remain in Mexico program, and Title 42, which eliminates the possibility that migrant families seeking asylum are handed over to federal immigration officials at the border, with the excuse of preventing COVID-19 infections.
The Remain in Mexico program will restart this month in San Diego. Up to 9,000 non-Mexican migrants will have to wait in Tijuana and fewer in Mexicali.
