NEW BATTLEGROUND SURVEY: Rust Belt Voters Strongly Support Providing Long-Settled Undocumented Dreamers, Caregivers, and U.S. Citizen Spouses A Path to Citizenship, Oppose Trump Policies

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, as first reported by POLITICO, the Immigration Hub released the results of a new poll conducted by Global Strategy Group (GSG) and BSP Research that surveyed voters in key battleground states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Results demonstrate that Rust Belt voters overwhelmingly support President Biden taking executive action to provide paths to citizenship and legal status for long-settled undocumented immigrants, including workers, caregivers, and spouses of U.S. citizens.

The findings suggest that swift action to provide relief for long-settled immigrant communities can galvanize President Biden’s 2020 coalition of supporters, such as youth, Latino, and Black voters, ahead of November. In fact, the results indicate that President Biden and Democrats can earn more trust with Rust Belt voters by publicly socializing a balanced approach to the nation’s immigration system and taking action to build on existing accomplishments at the border and in the interior.

The poll additionally confirms that a majority of voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin reject Donald Trump’s and Republicans’ anti-immigrant policies and are concerned about efforts to separate families and incite anti-immigrant violence. Taken together, the findings identify a window of opportunity for President Biden and Democrats to rebuild the immigration system and motivate the pro-immigrant electorate by rejecting extremist rhetoric and delivering on what Americans agree is the right approach–strengthening our border security and offering a path to citizenship to hard-working undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

“President Biden has a critical opportunity to mobilize voters by going on offense on policy and politics,” said Beatriz Lopez, Deputy Director of the Immigration Hub. “Right-wing candidates and groups have already launched multimillion-dollar anti-immigrant ad campaigns against President Biden and Democrats. The best offense and defense is delivering on action for Dreamers and immigrants who have long contributed to the U.S. and reaching the American public with a forward vision for our immigration system in stark contrast to Trump’s hateful and undemocratic plans. The majority of voters need to hear and see that the president is committed to bold and pragmatic solutions that honor America’s working families, including immigrants, and ensure safety for all communities.”

Key Results Include:

• Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin voters prefer (67%) a balanced approach to the immigration system and report high levels of support for policies addressing both border security and paths to citizenship and legal status for long-settled undocumented immigrants.

  • 88% support investing in increased screening capacity at the border to find fentanyl and other illegal drugs.

  • 88% support improving technology and infrastructure at the border.

  • 85% support creating pathways to citizenship for immigrants who have been living in the U.S. for many years and pass a background check and pay taxes.

  • 76% of Rust Belt voters support expanding the ability for family caregivers to stay here legally

  • 74% think undocumented immigrants married to a U.S. citizen or legal resident should be able to stay here legally.

• While many Rust Belt voters are unaware of President Biden’s accomplishments on immigration, they support what the President has done when they learn more about it and increase their trust in him on the issue.

  • Increasing fentanyl seizures at the border (71% say it’s a good thing).

  • Allowing military veterans who have been deported because of their immigrant status to access a path to return to the U.S. (66% good).

  • Reuniting over 700 immigrant families who were separated under the previous administration (60% good).

  • After voters have seen President Biden’s policy successes and messaging against Trump and Republicans on immigration, their trust in Biden over Trump to handle the issue improves, ending with 49% trusting Biden more and 48% trusting Trump more.

• Donald Trump and Republicans have vulnerabilities on immigration that Democrats can take advantage of with targeted messaging.

  • 59% of voters find it concerning that “Donald Trump and Republicans want to bring back cruel policies that do nothing to secure the border or fix our immigration system, including the inhumane family separation policy that separated children from their parents at the border.”

  • 56% of voters find it concerning that “Donald Trump and Republicans have consistently used fear, hate, and racism in the way they speak about immigrants – which has emboldened white supremacists and MAGA extremists and made immigrants targets for hate and violence.”

“Voters continue to support, by large margins, a balanced approach to immigration that includes both border security, and providing legal status to undocumented immigrants, including family caregivers and spouses of U.S. citizens or legal residents,” said Nick Gourevitch, Partner and Managing Director at Global Strategy Group (GSG).

“Motivating the Latino electorate will be key to victory in 2024 and this poll makes clear that Latino voters want to see decisive action on legal pathways for undocumented immigrant communities. There is an opportunity to increase enthusiasm among the Latino electorate by simply delivering on the popular, balanced solutions that, time and time again, voters overwhelmingly support,” said Matt Barreto, BSP Research President and Co-Founder.

Read full poll results here.

Global Strategy Group conducted a survey of 800 likely voters in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin between April 8th and April 15th, 2024. The survey has a confidence interval of +/-3.5%. All interviews were conducted via web-based panel.  The “Rust Belt” interviews cited in this memo are from a sub-sample of 379 interviews conducted in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and have confidence interval of +/- 5.0%.  In addition, BSP Research conducted a survey of 600 Latino registered voters, in battleground states and Congressional districts, between April 15th and April 20th, 2024. That survey has a margin of error of +/- 4.0%. All interviews were conducted via phone or online. Care has been taken in both surveys to ensure the geographic, political, and demographic divisions of the population of likely voters are properly represented.

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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.