A recent Issues & Insights/TIPP poll shows some real problems for Democrats where illegal immigration is concerned — but there's a larger problem behind all this.

First, the numbers from the poll:

With a record surge of illegal immigrants into the U.S., I&I/TIPP asked  the 1,378 voters who responded to the national online poll, which was taken from Sept. 27-29: “How would you describe the current situation at the United States’ southern border with Mexico?”

The poll, which was taken from Sept. 27-29 and has a margin of error of +/-2.7 percentage points, then provided five potential responses for participants: “crisis,” “a major problem,” “a minor problem,” “not a problem,” and “not sure.”

The response was clear and unequivocal. 72% of Americans called it either a crisis or a major problem. Just 22% said it was either a minor problem or not a problem. Another 6% said they were “Not sure.”

Republicans came out highest, with 88% calling the illegal border crossings a crisis or major problem, and just 10% calling the problem minor or nonexistent. Independents were somewhat below the Republicans at 64% vs. 25%. But Democrats weren’t far behind, at 62%-32%.

Joe Biden — or whoever is propping him up — should be very concerned about that last number, showing 62 percent of Democrats describing illegal border crossings as a "crisis" or a "major problem." That may well be why the Biden Administration is quietly reversing some of their long-held policies on the border. The whole mess is hitting Democrat-run cities particularly hard, and if this poll is any indicator, traditional Democrat voting blocs are starting to pay attention.

There were some interesting results, however. Overall, 62% of the two largest minority groups, blacks and hispanics, called uncontrolled immigration across our border a crisis or major problem, while 27% didn’t see it that way.

But break the numbers down further and you might be surprised. Blacks are among the lowest percentage in seeing the border as a serious problem, at 54% to 34%. But hispanics at 70% are much more likely to see it as serious (38%) or even a crisis (33%), not too far different from whites, at 77% to 19%.

But here's what the I&I/TIPP survey doesn't address: National security. And this is an issue that today, perhaps above and beyond anything else, should be driving our border policy right now.

The simple fact is this: We have allowed in, unquestioned and unscreened, tens of thousands of what appear to be military-aged men, and we don't know who they are, where they came from, or why they are here. That is a recipe for disaster. Does this account for some of the changing face of attitudes toward unchecked illegal immigration that are shown in this latest I&I/TIPP survey? It's certainly plausible to think so; unless one has been living under a flat stone for about the last two years, one cannot claim ignorance of the crisis on our southern border.

Personally, I'm in favor of immigration. Controlled, legal immigration. We should welcome people who want to come to the United States for the opportunities offered, who want to realize personal success, who have skills and talents that will bring value to our economy, and most of all, who are willing to go through the legal process. But the world is a dangerous, unsettled place; if the last few days have illustrated nothing else, they certainly have illustrated that. It is vital that we know precisely who is entering the United States and why — to allow in the people who want to work, to realize the liberty that America offers, and to be Americans — and to keep out the people who will be dole scroungers or who will present some danger to the liberty and property of our people.

These are facts that seem self-evident. It's too bad that so many of our elected "leaders" don't see it that way.