President Biden is looking to issue an executive order aimed at curbing illegal crossings by the end of this month, as polls suggest American Latino voters are warming up to President Trump. 

As immigration takes center stage in the presidential election, Mr. Biden hinted in an interview with Univision on Tuesday that he is “examining” whether he has the power to take executive action on illegal immigration. Recent Gallup polling suggests immigration is viewed by Americans as “the most important problem facing the U.S.,” followed by the economy and inflation. 

“There’s no guarantee that I have that power all by myself without legislation,” Mr. Biden said. “And some have suggested I should just go ahead and try it. And if I get shut down by the court, I get shut down by the court.”

Mr. Trump fired back on Truth Social on Wednesday, warning voters to “not be fooled by any phony” executive order.

“For 3 years, Crooked Joe Biden has flooded our Country with tens of millions of Illegal Aliens, while insisting he could do nothing to stop it,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Ask Joe how many of these millions of Illegal Aliens, Murderers, and Terrorists his Order will deport – The answer is ZERO. On Day One, I will Deport Crooked Joe’s Illegals, and SHUT THE BORDER DOWN!” 

For months, Mr. Biden has said he needs legislation from Congress to take action on the border, as lawmakers fought over provisions of the border bill. When asked in January if he had done everything he could do with executive authority, Mr. Biden said he had. 

“Just give me the power,” Mr. Biden said. “I’ve asked from the very day I got into office. Give me the Border Patrol. Give me the people — give me the people, the judges. Give me the people who can stop this and make it work right.” 

Mr. Trump has said a border bill from Congress is “not necessary” to stop people from crossing the border illegally. 

The power that Mr. Biden is seeking would restrict the number of immigrants who could claim asylum. The Trump-style move has sparked a heated debate in the White House, Axios reports, but Mr. Biden is aware of the political implications of the border crisis. 

As the two election frontrunners hash out immigration issues, polls suggest that a key voting bloc — Latinos — is increasingly supporting Mr. Trump. An Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll released this week found that since Mr. Biden’s first year in office, his advantage over Mr. Trump among Latinos has dropped to only 9 points from 29 points.

Latino voters, the poll finds, “tend to prefer Trump when it comes to the economy, crime, and immigration, but prefer Biden when it comes to abortion issues.”

The results may spell trouble for Mr. Biden, who has openly been pleading for the Latino vote. More Latinos think the Democratic party “represents people like them” better than the Republican party does, but “they are less likely to see Biden as a champion on key issues than the Democratic Party itself,” the poll notes.

The survey also found that while Latinos support providing paths to acquire legal citizenship for those who have crossed the border illegally, most also believe border security should be a priority.

Part of the Democratic party’s recent problems in the immigration debate comes from a lack of proper messaging, a Democratic strategist at Houston, Marc Campos, tells the Sun. 

“What I find frustrating as a Latino political, is the lack of messaging the White House has toward the Latino Democratic community,” he says. The Biden administration and the mainstream press don’t highlight a lot of “credible Latino leaders talking about the accomplishments of President Biden,” he adds, unlike surrogates in the African American and Asian American communities. 

As for Mr. Biden’s hint that he will issue an executive order on curbing illegal crossings, Mr. Campos acknowledges the issue has become “an emotional one,” especially in towns along the southern border that have had resources stretched thin. 

“A lot of us here don’t look at it that way as Latinos,” he says. If Mr. Biden goes through with the policy, he adds, “the more left-wing part of the Democratic Party, I’m sure that they’re not going to like it, but that’s not going to drive them away from voting for President Biden.”

Most of the people crossing the border are trying to seek a better quality of life, Mr. Campos says. 

“But I understand how it’s been politicized and it’s kind of sad and cruel because these people that have given a whole lot to come this far, that they’re gonna be held back,” he says. “But I can understand that Biden may be making a move to placate some that are still on the fence on this issue.”