Washington, DC – New CNN polling finds overwhelming support for protecting Dreamers, and sharp opposition to a range of Trump immigration policy priorities.
By an 82-14% margin overall, and a 74-21% margin among Republicans, Americans back an approach allowing Dreamers to stay in the U.S. and ensure that they are not exposed to deportation. The CNN poll asked:
As you may know, a U.S. government program allows some immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children to remain in the U.S. without risk of deportation. To qualify, immigrants had to be under the age of 30 as of 2012, have no criminal record, and be a student, in the military, or have earned a high school diploma.
Do you think the U.S. should continue this policy and allow immigrants who meet these qualifications to remain in the U.S.? Or end this policy and allow immigrants to be deported even if they do meet these qualifications?
CNN is just the latest in a series of recent polls to find that protecting Dreamers is overwhelmingly popular with the public, including Republicans:
In the new Washington Post/ABC News poll, 86% of Americans, including 75% of Republicans, back an approach allowing Dreamers to stay in the U.S.
In the new Harvard-Harris poll, 77% of Americans, including 66% of Republicans, back citizenship for Dreamers.
In the most recent Politico/Morning Consult poll, 73% of Americans, including 70% of Republicans, support either citizenship or legalization for Dreamers.
The CNN poll also found that the public’s views on a range of other immigration policy priorities are sharply at odds with the Trump Administration’s immigration vision. Among the other CNN poll findings:
4:1 Support for Legalization Instead of Deportation for Undocumented: By an 84-21% margin, including 76-21% among Republicans, Americans think the government’s top priority regarding all undocumented immigrants should be developing a plan for some to become legal residents rather than deporting the entire undocumented population.
Broad and Growing Public Opposition to Border Wall: The more the public hears about the border wall with Mexico, the less they like it. By a 63-33% margin, Americans oppose building a wall along the entire Mexican border. Of note, in September 2015 CNN polling, Americans narrowly supported building the wall.
Strong Public Opposition to Efforts to Slash Legal Immigration:While Stephen Miller and congressional immigration hardliners such as Senator Tom Cotton support slashing the numbers of legal immigrants coming into America, the public as a whole is strongly opposed. By a 55-39% margin in the new CNN poll, Americans oppose “changes to reduce the number of immigrants who enter the country legally.”
According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice Education Fund, “The nativism of the Trump Administration is at odds with the views and values of the majority of Americans. Trump has ended DACA, ramped up deportations, insisted on a border wall and backed a huge cut in legal immigration. It’s time for Trump and the Republican Party to change course. A good place to start is by backing a clean Dream Act and putting young people who are American in all but paperwork on a path to citizenship.”
Follow Frank Sharry and America’s Voice Education Fund on Twitter: @FrankSharry and @AmericasVoice
America’s Voice Education Fund – Harnessing the power of American voices and American values to win common sense immigration reform
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