Ahead of Trump address, a new poll shows how many Americans say there's a 'crisis' at the border

In a new poll released just ahead of a prime-time speech from President Donald Trump on immigration, just under half of Americans say that they believe there's a "crisis" at the border.

The poll from Morning Consult and Politico found that 42 percent of Americans believe the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border has reached a "crisis" level.

Many believe that the president will use the address to persuade Americans that the problem at the border is so serious that it is worth a government shutdown to force Democrats to fund a border wall.

Another 37 percent said that they believed illegal immigration was a problem, but not at the level that the president says it is.

Only 12 percent said that illegal immigration was neither a problem nor a crisis.

Who is to blame for the shutdown?

Another part of the poll asked Americans who is to blame for the government shutdown, and it is not the best news for the president.

Nearly half of Americans — 47 percent — blame Trump for the government shutdown, while only 33 percent blame the Democrats. Another 5 percent blame Congressional Republicans.

Morning Consult's vice president Tyler Sinclair said that the president remains popular in his decisions on immigration — at least among Republicans.

"Our polling suggests Republican voters are responding well to President Trump's handling of the contentious battle around the government shutdown," Sinclair said.

"Notably, 69 percent of Republican voters blame Congressional Democrats, and 15 percent blame President Trump for the government shutdown," he added. "Among the same group, the president's approval crept upward, with 84 percent approving and 15 percent disapproving of his performance this week, compared to 81 percent approval and 18 percent disapproval pre-shutdown."

Here's a news video report about Trump's address: