More than 8 in 10 voters want a system of immigration that selects individuals based on their education and skills rather than our current system that selects immigrants based on whether they have relatives already in the United States.
Voters Support President Trump’s Approach to DACA
- 63% of voters favor “a congressional deal that gives undocumented immigrants brought here by their parents work permits and a path to citizenship in exchange for increasing merit preference over preference for relatives, eliminating the diversity visa lottery, and funding barrier security on the U.S.-Mexico border.” This includes 61% of Hispanics, 55% of African American voters, and 63% of Democrats.
- A majority (53%) of voters think Democrats in Congress are not out “to find a legislative solution for DACA recipients” and are instead “holding it out as an issue for the midterm elections.” This includes 61 percent of Independents, as well as nearly 1 in 5 Democratic voters who think Democratic lawmakers do not want “to find a solution for DACA,” but instead want to use them as an issue in the midterm elections.
Voters Support Ending Chain Migration
- 84% of voters “think immigration priority for those coming to the United States should be based on a person’s ability to contribute to America as measured by their education and skills”—not “based on a person having relatives in the U.S.” This includes 83% of Hispanics, 88% of Independents, and 77% of Clinton voters.
- 60% of voters said “children who were brought into this country illegally by their parents… should not be given preference for [their parents and] relatives to move to this country.” This includes 62% of women and 66% of Independents.
- 60% of voters think DACA recipients “should not be able to bring in their parents [into the country with them if they are given a pathway to citizenship] as this only encourages bringing in more undocumented people to the U.S.”
Voters Support Canceling the Visa Lottery
- 70% of voters oppose the visa “lottery that randomly picks 50,000 people to enter the U.S. each year for great diversity.” This includes 58% of Hispanics, 56% of African Americans, 61% of Clinton voters, and 59% of Democrats.
Voters Want To Secure Our Borders
- 62% of voters believe current border security is inadequate. This includes 55% of Hispanics and 64% of Independents.
- 57% of voters support “building a combination of physical and electronic barriers across the U.S.-Mexico border.” This includes 53% of Hispanics and 54% of Independents.
- A clear majority of voters (61%) believe Congress should pass legislation that addresses both DACA and border security at the same time. This includes 69% of Hispanics, 55% of African Americans, 54% of Democrats, and 63% of Independents.
Voters Support Immigration Control
- 79% of voters think we need secure borders—not open borders. This includes 72% of Hispanic voters, 71% of African American voters, 80% of Independent voters, and 71% of Clinton voters.
- Among Republican voters, respondents said that “reducing the total amount of immigrants allowed in the United States” should be “the top priority for President Trump and Republicans in Congress” second only to “stimulating American jobs.”
- Among all voters, “reducing the total amount of immigrants allowed in the United States” was ranked to be a top five issue, rating in equal importance to destroying ISIS.
“This survey was conducted online within the United States from February 16-19, 2018, among 1,934 registered voters by The Harris Poll.”
