A new poll shows that most Americans think illegal immigrants should be able to stay in the U.S. legally, even though the number of people who think immigrants strengthen the country fell over the last year.
The Pew Research Center poll found that 72 percent of Americans support letting illegal immigrants stay in the country, a level that has fluctuated only modestly over the past few years.
Of those who say immigrants should have a way to stay legally if they meet certain requirements, 42 percent say they should apply for citizenship, while 26 percent they should apply for permanent residency, according to the survey.
But supporting a pathway to citizenship does not necessarily coincide with positive thoughts about immigrants. About half of those polled, 51 percent, say immigrants strengthen the country because of their hard work and talents, but this is down six percentage points since last year. Forty-one percent say immigrants are a burden because they take jobs, housing and healthcare.
Republicans are more likely (63 percent) than Democrats (32 percent) to say immigrants are a burden on the U.S., and less likely (27 percent) than Democrats (62 percent) to say immigrants strengthen the country.
Just 37 percent of those polled approve of the way the president is handing the nation’s immigration policy, compared to 56 percent who disapprove. Whites highly disapprove (65 percent), while Hispanics are divided (48 percent disapprove, 44 approve). Sixty-six percent of blacks, meanwhile, approve of Obama’s handling of immigration policy.
The telephone survey of roughly 2,000 adults was conducted May 12-18 with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
