The Hill
By Ben Kamisar
June 4, 2015
Almost
three quarters of Americans want undocumented immigrants to remain in
the country with legal status, including majorities of both Democrats
and Republicans, according
to a new Pew Hispanic Center poll.
Seventy-two
percent of Americans back a pathway to legal status, compared to 27
percent who believe those undocumented immigrants should not be allowed
to stay. Out of
those who support the pathway, a plurality, 42 percent, support a
pathway to citizenship. Twenty-six percent want those immigrants to only
be eligible for permanent residency.
The
poll, released Thursday, still shows a significant partisan gap between
Republicans and Democrats. Eight out of 10 Democrats back legal status
for immigrants in the
country illegally, while 56 percent of Republicans share that view.
Partisans
also disagree on the impact of immigrants on the U.S. Sixty-two percent
of Democrats believe that they "strengthen [the] country through hard
work and talents,"
while 63 percent of Republicans believe they "burden [the] country by
taking jobs, housing, [and] health care."
The
new data comes as the presidential field begins to fall into place. Ten
Republicans have officially declared, the vast majority against legal
pathways for those living
in the country illegally. Pundits have questioned whether candidates
like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) will have
difficulties wooing the conservative base due to their previous support
of those policies.
On
the flip side, Democratic presidential candidates have widely embraced
calls for a pathway to citizenship as they look to keep the coalition
that propelled President
Obama into the White House intact. Hillary Clinton came out early in
favor of a pathway, much to the pleasure of Democrats. But some have
questioned whether she promised too much, as she would be unlikely to
pass the policy through a Republican Congress if
she won the presidency.
The
poll sampled 2,002 American adults between May 12-18. The combined
results have a margin of error of 2.5 points, the Democratic numbers
have a 4.5-point margin and
the Republican results have a 5-point margin.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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