According to a state-wide poll by the Public Policy Institute of California; one of the hot beds of immigration politics, 73% of likely voters favored citizenship for undocumented immigrants, compared to 24% who opposed it. Even 61% of Republicans favored immigration reform, despite the GOP being the biggest obstacle towards movement towards comprehensive immigration reform.
According to a state-wide poll by the Public Policy Institute of California; one of the hot beds of immigration politics, 73% of likely voters favored citizenship for undocumented immigrants, compared to 24% who opposed it. Even 61% of Republicans favored immigration reform, despite the GOP being the biggest obstacle towards movement towards comprehensive immigration reform.
This is a stark contrast to twenty-one years ago, when 59% of Californians decided overwhelmingly to deny any kind of public services towards people who entered the country illegally. These public services included refusing to allow the children of illegal immigrants to receive an education.
It appears voters now favor providing easier pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, provided they meet certain conditions including paying back-taxes, passing a criminal-background check, undergoing a waiting period, and learning English.
A likely reason for the change of attitudes can be attributed to positive experiences many have with immigrants in their daily lives. Immigrants are now seen as more of a benefit to the economy rather than as a burden.
Similar numbers can be seen in California in the support of President Obama’s executive actions which provides deportation relief to up to 5 million immigrants living in the country without authorization. In a different poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California, 57% of voters support the President’s executive orders.
Nationally, public support for immigration reform is also on the rise. According to a March 24 poll conducted by CBS News, 56% of Americans support immigrants being able to stay in the country and apply for citizenship after an extended period of time, while 29% still believe that undocumented immigrants should still be required to leave.
While the national numbers are becoming clearer, the battle over immigration in the federal government is remains stalled. While the passage of the president’s executive actions is inevitable in the long run, the process still has to be played out in the courts. The numbers; however, indicate that the issue over immigration is less divided than is being demonstrated in the media and in Congress.