Politics

The Public Rejects Obama’s Immigration Policies

Neil Munro White House Correspondent
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President Barack Obama is pushing for a huge amnesty in the weeks before Americans go to the polls, but a new poll shows that the swing-voters are deeply hostile to his immigration policies and to illegal immigration and are growing very worried about legal immigration.

Only seven percent of swing-voting independents say the 50,000-plus Central American youths who have crossed the Texas border under Obama’s oversight (since October) should be allowed to stay, according to the poll released on July 28 by YouGov and The Economist.

Eighty percent of independents say the youths should be returned now, or once conditions are safe in their home country, the survey said. The score for independents is critical, because their votes are up for grabs in the November election, which may give the GOP a majority in the Senate.

The poll suggests that Obama’s conditional support for the migrants is damaging his already-weak public polls. It also shows that a large majority of the public will oppose his developing plan to provide work-permits to roughly five million illegal immigrants amid a stalled economy and massive unemployment.

Obama’s immigration policies are backed by only 21 percent of independents. He’s also backed by only 62 percent of Democrats, 32 percent of moderates, 42 percent of Hispanics and 23 percent of whites.

His greatest support on the issue comes from African-Americans, but even they give him only 61 percent support.

Few people believe the White House’s claim that the 100,000-plus Central American adults, youths and children are fleeing violent crimes.

Only 28 percent of independents, and 31 percent of moderates, say the migrants are fleeing crime. But 59 percent of independents and 55 percent of moderates say they’re seeking an “amnesty.”

Also, there is some evidence that the border-meltdown is causing people to rethink assumption that they should welcome immigrants.

The poll said that 61 percent of independents and 58 percent of moderates said that “immigration” — not illegal immigration — is a “very serious” problem. Only 3 percent said it was not a problem.

That’s a boost for politicians and groups who are seeking lower levels of immigration. They include Sen. Jeff Sessions and groups such as NumbersUSA and the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Other polls also show Obama’s policy is broadly unpopular.

The isolation of Obama’s Democratic partisans from the mainstream is highlighted by one question asking how the government should treat the border crossers: Twenty percent of Democrats and 18 percent of liberals say the Central American youths and children should be allowed to stay in the United States, but that view is shared by only 11 percent of moderates and 7 percent of political independent voters.

A vast majority of respondents want the border-crossers to go home, either immediately or later. For example, 37 percent of moderates and 45 percent of independents supported a policy that would either “return them to the Mexican border [or] return them to their family in their home country, regardless of conditions in their home country.” That policy is even endorsed by 27 percent of Democrats.

Even the middle-of-the-road option in the YouGov poll said the youths should be returned. Forty percent of Democrats and 43 percent of liberals said the youths and children should be returned “to their family in their home country, only if conditions in their home country are safe.”

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