This afternoon, a select, bipartisan group of Members of Congress met with President Obama at the White House to talk immigration solutions.
The President summed things up this way, according to the press pool report from the White House:
“After all the demagoguery, we’ve got a responsible set of leaders who want to get things done.”
It is becoming increasingly clear that the small but lound anti-immigrant lobby faxing Congress daily doesn’t represent a true picture of American voters or American values. In fact, a new nationwide poll conducted this month reveals that an overwhelming majority of independent voters want comprehensive immigration reform (PDF). Among the findings:
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When asked whether they support Congress passing “comprehensive immigration reform,” without hearing details about what the plan includes, 62% of Independents said yes and 21% said no.
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When given the details behind reform, and asked whether they support Congress passing a law that would: “Secure the border, crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, and require illegal immigrants to register for legal immigration status, pay back taxes, and learn English in order to be eligible for U.S. citizenship,” 84% said yes and 15% said no.
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When asked whether “We would be better off if people who are in the United States illegally became legal taxpayers so they pay their fair share,” or “We would be better off if people who are in the United States illegally left the country because they are taking away jobs that Americans need,” 68% of Independents agreed with the former statement while 29% chose the latter.
Click here to see comprehensive polling on immigration.
These results are encouraging and should give the Members of Congress at the White House today confidence that the majority of Americans stand with them as they work towards real reform.
