In August, Stephen Miller asserted that Joe Biden’s immigration stance would be “a massive political vulnerability.” The Trump campaign has spent millions in ads attacking Joe Biden for supporting a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
New state-specific polling released today by the New York Times/Siena College in the three purple/red states of Georgia, Iowa, and Texas suggests why this strategy is backfiring. In each, an overwhelming majority of voters, including Republicans, back citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Furthermore, in each state, voters oppose Trump’s border wall.
Georgia
- 68-26% support for “providing a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants living in the United States.” 82-14% Democrats; 69-26% Independents; 55-39% Republicans.
- 44-51% opposition to “building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.”
Iowa
- 74-19% support for “providing a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants living in the United States.” 90-7% Democrats; 73-24% Independents; 66-28% Republicans.
- 44-53% opposition to “building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.”
Texas
- 74-20% support for “providing a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants living in the United States.” 87-9% Democrats; 80-17% Independents; 58-33% Republicans.
- 47-48% opposition to “building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.”
According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
In 2016, Donald Trump ran on xenophobia. For the past four years, he’s governed as a cruel xenophobe. In 2018, he nationalized the midterms elections around xenophobia. Most in his party have been happy to go along with Trump’s harsh rhetoric and hard line.
Here we are in 2020, and there he goes again. His campaign has been spending millions attacking Joe Biden for supporting a path to citizenship. His campaign rallies feature racist attacks on refugees, immigrants and people of color.
It’s not working. It’s backfiring. Remember the midterms? Trump’s racial incitement around caravans and criminals led to the biggest midterm defeat in American history. And as these polls confirm, Americans from across the nation and across the political spectrum strongly support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Trump’s relentless reliance on nativism has forced Americans to choose. They have. They stand for an America that welcomes immigrants, puts Dreamers and TPS holders on a path to citizenship, legalizes the undocumented, rewards essential workers, and formally recognizes undocumented immigrants as the Americans they already are.
Now all we need is a President and a Congress that is in sync with the vast majority of Americans so we can turn long overdue proposals into legislated realities.
