Following the influx of undocumented immigrant children entering the U.S. this summer, border security became the top important issue among Texans based on new polling statistics.

Statistics from the University of Texas (UT) and the Texas Tribune saw border security as the most important issue in Texas with 23 percent, narrowly ahead of immigration's 18 percent.

"It's border security and immigration," UT-Austin professor and the poll's co-director Daron Shaw said. "If you're going to shake the election, you have to shake the issues environment."

According to Shaw, Tea Party voters are more likely to select border security and immigration as their top issue than Republicans. Democratic voters placed education and health care higher than border security and immigration.

Latinos are less likely than whites to pick border security as their top issue. Immigration was the most important issue with Latinos.

"When you frame this as law and order on the border, you do not lose Hispanic voters -- if you are careful," said UT-Austin Texas Politics Project Director, and poll co-director, Jim Henson. "We have seen a lot more of candidates who are careful on those issues than of those who are not."

Although border security was the top issue among Texans, the death rate along the U.S.-Mexico border dropped to its lowest levels in 15 years. According to the Associated Press, more undocumented immigrants have turned themselves in to authorities in Texas than continue the migration into deserted territory. The AP noted the federal government accounted for 307 deaths during the 2014 fiscal years, which ended in September, and therefore the lowest rate since 1999. In comparison to 2013's fiscal year, 445 deaths were recorded along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Texas, however, surpassed Arizona for the most border-related deaths during 2014. Texas' Rio Grande Valley sector recorded 115 deaths during the latest fiscal year compared to 107 deaths in Tucson, Arizona.

Arizona has been considered a dangerous border region due to high temperature figures, but more undocumented immigrants have recently chose to migrate through southern Texas.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, 49,959 undocumented unaccompanied children were apprehended at the Rio Grande Valley sector during the 2014 fiscal year while 8,262 immigrant minors were detained in Tucson.

Meanwhile, the third most important issue with Texas was political corruption with 9 percent followed by education and the economy, which received 7 percent and 6 percent, respectively.

The UT and Texas Tribune survey comprised of 1,200 registered voters between Oct. 10 and Oct. 19.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

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