The U.S./Mexican Border: How Often and Why Arizonans Cross Into Mexico - December 2018

In this brief, we examine recent data from the Center for Latina/os and American Politics Research (CLAPR) at Arizona State University to better understand who and why Arizonans are crossing into Mexico. The poll surveyed 775 total respondents, from September 10-25, 2018 and was administered by Latino Decisions. The poll reveals important facts about the way Arizonans interact with Mexico and comes amid public debates over the importance of the border for the prosperity of the state and proposals to improve the efficiency of cross-border flows as in a recent feasibility study by the General Services Administration and Customs and Border Protection that concluded that “Douglas, Arizona, definitely needs two ports of entry at the Mexico border.” According to the poll’s findings, 30% of Arizonans have crossed the border into Mexico in the past 12 months.