NEW BATTLEGROUND SURVEY – Ahead of 2024, Voters Want Action from Biden and Congress on Immigration: Open Legal Pathway for Immigrant Families, Deliver Sensible Border Solutions
New Poll Shows Battleground Voters Need to Hear From Democrats on Immigration, Support Expanded Protections for Undocumented Immigrants, including Dreamers and TPS-holders, and Humane Border Solutions, Reject Extreme Policies Like DeSantis’ FL Bill
WASHINGTON — Today, the Immigration Hub and Voto Latino released the results of a new poll of presidential battleground states (AZ, GA, MI, NC, NV, PA, WI), conducted by Global Strategy Group. Coming off the heels of Senator Bob Menendez’s border and asylum plan, the survey results demonstrate that a majority of voters not only need to hear from President Biden and Democrats on immigration, but also support a balanced approach to immigration that includes both sensible and humane border solutions and protections for immigrant families, including Dreamers and TPS-holders, who are at risk of deportation.
“Voters disapprove of the job both parties are doing on immigration because they see the system as deeply broken and in desperate need of a fix,” stated Nick Gourevitch of Global Strategy Group. “Recent polling shows voters clearly want Washington to act with solutions that are balanced – that include both border security and pathways to citizenship and legal status for Dreamers and other immigrants.”
Despite Republican legislative and political attacks against immigrants, the majority of American voters surveyed disapprove of how both parties are handling immigration, with many believing that Washington is failing to act on both border security and pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. The survey highlights the urgency for President Biden and Democrats to go on offense on immigration, socialize their solutions to the American public and deliver long-awaited, popular policies that recognize the contributions of Dreamers and immigrant workers in the U.S. and allow them to get on a path to legal status.
“Time and again, the data shows that the American people want their leaders to deliver on immigration: stop politicking and instead open a pathway to legal status for Dreamers and immigrant workers who have long contributed to American communities; don’t go extreme and instead invest in meaningful and humane border solutions. It’s not about one over the other– it’s about getting the job done on both. President Biden and Democrats should get ahead of the GOP narrative and 2024 elections – deliver big on both fronts and make sure the public knows about it. Voters will thank them,” added Beatriz Lopez, the Chief Political and Communications Officer for the Immigration Hub.
“This polling underscores what we already know: voters reject Republican’s extreme, enforcement-only policies. They want common sense solutions that ensure our immigration system functions at the border and respects the dignity of immigrants who are members of their neighborhoods, communities and families. This is an issue where good politics and good policy align. Democrats have public opinion on their side but need to match public opinion with action and legislation,” said Maria Teresa Kumar, President and CEO of Voto Latino.
Highlights of key results include:
Voters see the immigration system as deeply broken – and want Washington to act. Nearly all voters (82%) think the immigration system is broken. 68% of all voters, including 74% of swing voters, want “a balanced approach that includes both border security and protects Dreamers, providing them and other eligible immigrants with a pathway to citizenship.”
Only 32% of all voters, and only 26% of swing voters, want “an enforcement-only approach that exclusively focuses on border security and limiting the use of asylum.”
Voters overwhelmingly support a path to citizenship, work permits, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). 76% want a way for them to “gain legal status and a pathway to citizenship if certain requirements are met, including background checks,” and 64% support the Biden administration using its TPS authority.
Majority support (69% support v. 21% oppose) for President Biden to take action that makes it easier for undocumented immigrants, including DACA recipients, who meet certain criteria to apply for work permits and protection from deportation
Voters support an investment in border security that improves the infrastructure and processing of asylum seekers and migrants, while rejecting policies, such as family detention and separation. 65% have a positive view of “modernizing and improving the physical infrastructure at high-volume ports of entry to enhance screening and processing.”
Republicans are vulnerable on their extremism, and new proposals from Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott put them far outside the mainstream. 64% say Gov. DeSantis’s immigration proposal “goes too far” while 63% of voters said the same for Gov. Abbott’s measure that would give ordinary citizens the authority to arrest migrants who cross the border.
Read the full memo on the results of the battleground survey here.
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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.