Washington, DC — Ahead of the State of the Union and given the unofficial kick-off of the general election, America’s Voice has released several new products relevant to the busy politics and policy of immigration. Additionally, the findings of a new Wall Street Journal poll underscores our assessment of public opinion that the broad majority of Americans support a balanced approach to immigration and the border that combines border security with legal status and expanded legal immigration channels.
- New Wall Street Journal poll finds broad support for balanced approach to immigration, with pathway to citizenship most popular policy idea tested. As Michelle Hackman and Aaron Zitner of the WSJ write, “Americans support both tougher border security and a pathway to citizenship for longtime immigrants living in the country illegally, a new Wall Street Journal poll finds—suggesting that voters crave a blueprint for compromise that Congress has all but abandoned … In the new Journal survey, 59% of voters said they would support the bipartisan package, with roughly equal percentages of Republicans and Democrats in favor.
An even larger share, some 74%, support creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who have been in the country for many years and pass a background check. That makes a path to citizenship the single most popular of eight immigration policies the Journal asked about. Similarly, 66% of voters would support creating a mechanism for immigrants brought into the country illegally as children, often called Dreamers, to gain citizenship. And 58% back increasing the level of legal immigration to the U.S.”
- New America’s Voice report and analysis, “Trump’s 2025 Immigration Agenda,” details the array of chilling, immigration-related pledges and policies touted by Donald Trump and included in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. As the analysis details, “As Donald Trump is all but the Republican Presidential nominee, it is worth taking a closer look at what he and his allies have promised to do on immigration if he wins a second term … Mass deportations. Massive changes to the federal government. Inciting a climate of fear. Undermining legal immigration. That’s the plan and, this time, Trump, Miller, Cuccinelli, and the Heritage Foundation are putting the pieces in place to achieve their goals.”
Also note Axios reporting that the Biden campaign is planning on elevating Project 2025 and its radical goals and implications – which extend well past immigration.”
- New Medium post from AV Senior Director of Communication Douglas Rivlin: “The Immigration State of the Union Address I Hope to Hear from President Biden.” Rivlin writes, “below are the immigration and border remarks I hope to hear from President Biden at Thursday’s State of the Union address,” with key excerpts of the proposed Biden speech including references to Donald Trump: “He likes to pretend that the border was supposedly ‘secure’ during his presidency or that these challenges started under my presidency. Mularkey. Throughout 2019, under my predecessor, border encounters were the highest in more than a decade, spiking to about triple the totals of when he took office. And in December 2020 – in my predecessor’s final full month as president – border encounters were the highest level for a December in more than two decades and had been rising for months…”
And noting that, “…America shouldn’t have to choose between maintaining a secure and orderly border and living up to our country’s proud history as a nation that is strengthened by immigrants … So no, the larger answer can’t be just higher walls and ‘keep out’ signs or buying into the dangerous lies and ugly conspiracies that seek to keep us divided and these issues unresolved. Immigrants aren’t ‘poisoning the blood of our country.’ That’s not who we are as a country. That’s not what I believe … So enough political games and photo ops and ugly lies that seek to divide us over immigration. Instead, let’s work together to create a new and a functional immigration system that works for America and advances both our values and our interests.”
Additional AV Resources
- “Immigration and the State of the Union: An Opportunity for President Biden” – March 6 statement from Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice, previewing the SOTU address and immigration
- America’s Voice March 2024 political memo: “The Changed Politics of Immigration and the Way Forward”
- America’s Voice March 2024 analysis and round-up of the latest on public opinion and polling on immigration
