New Pew Poll Shows Strong, Durable Support for Legal Status Across Party Lines
Washington, DC – Amidst a backdrop of intra-GOP chaos, anew Pew Research Center poll shows broad, cross-party agreement on the crux of the immigration policy debate: what to do with the 11 million immigrants in this country without legal status.
“The American people know what needs to do be done on immigration. When will Republicans stop blocking progress and respond to the will of the people?” said Lynn Tramonte, Deputy Director of America’s Voice. “They can either be part of the solution or part of the problem. Only one option carries the country forward and gives their party a real future. Hint: this is not the option preferred by Donald Trump, Jeff Sessions, and Steve King.”
On the fundamental question of whether undocumented immigrants should be offered a path to legal status so long as they meet certain requirements, 74% of Americans overall said that they should be allowed to stay legally, while 24% said they should not. This includes 66% of Republicans, 74% of Independents, and 80% of Democrats who support legal status for undocumented immigrants. And, this is not a new phenomenon: support for legal status has been high for years, according to Pew tracking data. Interestingly, for Republicans, the new numbers mark a 10 point increase in support since May of this year.
Among voters ages 18-29, 82% believe undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay legally while only 17% believe they should not.
The poll also showed strong support for allowing children born in the United States to remain U.S. Citizens regardless of the status of their parents, with 60% opposing proposed changes to the constitution and 37% supporting it.
And, despite the heated rhetoric around border security heard on the campaign trail (a la Donald Trump), a plurality (48%) oppose building a border fence along the U.S.-Mexican border while 46% support building a fence.
“The GOP is alienating all kinds of voters, from young people, to Latinos, to any American who just wants to see problems solved. We always knew the public was out ahead of Republican politicians on immigration. The question is, will the GOP adapt or die?”
