Many New Hampshire Republicans identify immigration as the most important issue facing the United States, according to exit polling on Tuesday, mirroring the results from Iowa GOP caucusgoers last week.

About 4 in 10 Republican voters said immigration was the most important issue in the country, according to AP VoteCast. In comparison, 3 in 10 Republican voters said the economy is their priority. The survey found about 7 in 10 believe immigrants do more to hurt the country than help it. It also found that 8 in 10 are in favor of building a wall along the southern border with Mexico. 

U.S. immigration officials came across a staggering 300,000 immigrants at the southern border in December, making it the highest number of people encountered in a single month in history. Additionally, thousands of immigrants have been bused from border states like Texas and Arizona to Democratic-controlled cities like New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. 

ELECTION 2024: FOLLOW LATEST COVERAGE

The influx of immigrants at the southern border has dominated the headlines for months, with the Republican candidates making the issue front and center in their campaigns. 

For weeks, the Biden administration and a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the Senate have been trying to strike a deal on legislation that could reduce the growing number of unlawful border crossings. Talks have been going on for weeks, and the details are still unclear, but negotiators have been stuck on the issue of parole, even as they’ve found common ground on changes to asylum policy.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER 

During the White House briefing on Tuesday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was pressed over whether President Joe Biden views immigration as a top priority. 

“There are many issues that are top priorities for this president, right? This is a president that has to deal with multiple issues all at once,” Jean-Pierre said in response. “Obviously, immigration is clearly important.”