Polls Show that Most Americans Want Immigration Reform

Despite insistence by some in the U.S. House of Representatives that effective immigration reform is dead in the water for 2014, polls have shown that Americans will be let down if immigration reform is not dealt with this year and feel strongly that any immigration reform should include a pathway to citizenship for the millions of unauthorized immigrants currently residing in the United States.

A recent Gallup Poll found that a majority of Americans believe that addressing issues with unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. was more important than securing our borders. While the split was close (44 percent in favor of dealing with the undocumented and 43 percent believing our borders first need to be secured), it shows a marked change from a Gallup poll taken in 2011 in which 53 percent of Americans believed that securing borders should take priority.

A CBS poll showed that 54 percent of Americans favored a pathway to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants living within our borders. That majority felt strongly that approaches to solving this issue that left those immigrants as second-class citizens was unacceptable. Only a small percentage of those polled (12 percent) believed in legalization without citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

A Fox News poll showed that more than two-thirds of Americans support a pathway to citizenship and overwhelmingly reject mass deportations. The 68 percent of respondents who supported a pathway to citizenship did so with the proviso that those immigrants pay back taxes and pass background checks.

Finally, a poll conducted by the firm Global Strategy/Basswood Research showed that nearly 79 percent of voters want immigration reform and that 74 percent of them will be disappointed if Congress fails to act on the issue.

Immigration reform is going to happen sooner or later and the immigration attorneys at Lubiner, Schmidt & Palumbo in New Jersey will be prepared when it does. If you have questions about your current immigration needs, don’t hesitate to call us at (844) 288-7978 or contact us online. Our responsive and knowledgeable staff is prepared to handle your case professionally and efficiently.