New Poll Shows Majority in CO PA MI Support Dream and TPS Solution

June 26, 2019

New Poll Shows Majority of CO, PA, and MI Voters Strongly Support Citizenship for Dreamers and TPS-holders Trump’s Divisive Tactics Still Rejected by Critical Voting Blocs in Battleground States Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee marks up the Dream and Promise Act, H.R. 6. The bill provides Dreamers […]

Trump’s Divisive Tactics Still Rejected by Critical Voting Blocs in Battleground States

Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee marks up the Dream and Promise Act, H.R. 6. The bill provides Dreamers and individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) a process to earn citizenship.  As Trump kicks off his re-election campaign focused on winning Michigan, Pennsylvania and Colorado, a new poll, commissioned by the Immigration Hub and conducted by Change Research, found that the majority of Colorado, Pennsylvania and Michigan voters, across party lines, support legislation offering Dreamers and TPS-holders citizenship.

“Trump has made crystal clear that his 2020 strategy is all about immigration, but voters want solutions and not carnival barking and policies that separate families”stated Tyler Moran, Director of the Immigration Hub. “The Dream and Promise Act is just that. The bill protects over 1 million community members, colleagues and neighbors who are Dreamers and TPS holders from being deported from the only country that they know.”

As Trump touts Kushner’s immigration vanity project that would gut protections for vulnerable children seeking asylum, upend family reunifications and do nothing for Dreamers and TPS-holders, the Immigration Hub’s new poll found that 74% of Colorado voters, 71% of Pennsylvania voters, and 78% percent of Michigan voters, believe that the United States government should offer a path to citizenship for Dreamers and TPS-holders.

In fact, despite Trump’s 2020 rallying cries against immigrants to reach his base, the tactic has not influenced key voting blocs on the question of citizenship for immigrant youth and families with TPS:

  • In Michigan, 80% of Independents favored a path to citizenship for Dreamers and TPS–holders. Notably, 60% Macomb county voters also echoed the support.

  • In Pennsylvania, 68% of Independent voters also supported citizenship for Dreamers and individuals with TPS. Majorities in the battleground counties Erie (65%) and Luzerne (72%) favored citizenship for them as well.

  • In Colorado, 66% of Independent voters and the majority in Pueblo (80%) and Jefferson (78%) counties said Dreamers and TPS holders should be offered citizenship.

The overwhelming support for immigrant youth and families with TPS among critical blocs of the electorate reflects a growing trend that began in 2018. American voters largely rejected Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and also opposed  the president’s “zero-tolerance” family separation policy. And yet, President Trump continues a divisive strategy, still failing to reunite children and parents and laying out draconian policies to exacerbate his man-made border crisis in an effort to stoke fears against immigrants.

Bottom line: While the president is betting on a redux of his 2018 tactic, the majority of Americans favor solutions that responsibly manage immigrants seeking permanent protections. The support is evident, and echoed by hundreds of elected officials, including governors from Colorado, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, who issued a statement in support of permanent protections for Dreamers and TPS-holders.

As Trump and Republicans offer red meat to Trump’s diminishing base, Democrats already have smart and effective 21st century solutions on the table. Aside from the Dream and Promise Act, Senate Democrats, last week, introduced a bill that would offer a commonsense solution to the humanitarian challenges in Central America that are driving people to our southern border. That plan would address the root causes of migration from Central America, improve our asylum system by providing a fair process, create a regional refugee system and penalize smugglers and traffickers.

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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.

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