10 OCT 2022
Data Shows Ending DACA, Deporting Dreamers is a Political Loser for Republicans
Voters Moved By Policies to Protect Dreamers
WASHINGTON, DC – The Republican Party has repeatedly made it clear that they will continue to use immigration and the border to attack President Biden and Democrats this election cycle. Now, with the recent ruling by the conservative 5th circuit jeopardizing the future of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and putting Dreamers on a potential path to deportation, the Republican party’s threats to end DACA indefinitely can materialize should they take the majority in Congress. Democrats have an opportunity to hold them accountable on the campaign trail and secure votes among critical independent and Latino voters.
“One of the worst miscalculations that MAGA Republicans have made is believing that American voters, including conservatives, want to terminate DACA and disrupt the lives of Dreamers,” stated Beatriz Lopez, Chief Political and Communications Officer for the Immigration Hub. “In repeated public opinion polling and testing of political advertising, we find that voters across the political spectrum cannot stomach a politician who is not supporting or fighting for a solution to protect Dreamers from deportation. Simply, Republicans who have promised to end DACA have written their own three billboards of malpractice. Both Democrats in Congress and candidates on the trail should hold them to account and secure critical votes while working to deliver for Dreamers before the conservative courts, once again, deliberate against the will of the people.”
The most recent research demonstrates that voters not only overwhelming support a solution to protect Dreamers, but are also willing to disqualify Republican candidates for their position on DACA:
1. Public Opinion: A recent Immigration Hub and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) poll, conducted by Hart Research and BSP Research, found that
A strong majority of voters (65%) say that Congress should act to protect Dreamers if a federal court overturns the DACA program, as do 78% of Latino voters.
Republican attacks have not decreased voter support for pro-immigrant solutions. A majority of voters support pro-immigrant policies: An overwhelming 70% of battleground voters— including 82% of Latinos, 76% of swing voters, 74% of independents, and 76% of moderates— agree with Democrats that undocumented immigrants should be provided a path to citizenship.
2. Florida: Last week, on behalf of the Immigration Hub, Swayable, a data platform that measures the impact of ads among registered voters, surveyed Florida voters who viewed an ad that showed how Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) went from advocating for bipartisan immigration reform to currently blocking citizenship for Dreamers and promising to end DACA.
After viewing the ad, 53% of Florida voters, including 51% of Independents, surveyed said they would vote for Democratic candidate Val Demings over Rubiowhose unfavorability increased by nearly 10 points.
The jump was even more dramatic with Latino voters: a 10-point increase for Demings (12-point drop for Rubio), with 58% of Latinos who said they’d vote for the congresswoman.
3. Nevada: The GOP’s candidates in Nevada for Governor and Senate— Sheriff Joe Lombardo and Adam Laxalt— are both supporting the most unpopular position on immigration: end DACA, deport Dreamers. An ad test conducted by Somos PAC found that their positions persuaded voters against them.
“Our messaging data shows that their anti-DACA and overall anti-immigrant stances are disqualifying for the majority of Nevada voters, specifically independents, undecideds and Latino voters,” said Melissa Morales, head of Somos PAC, which has been actively campaigning in Nevada to galvanize voters against the Republican candidates. “In fact, for the majority of voters who don’t know enough about Laxalt, they found his anti-DACA position to be of most concern and ultimately moving against voting for him.”
Bottom line: Poll after poll (after poll after poll) has found consistently that a strong majority of Americans support DACA and creating a pathway to citizenship.
###
The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.