Latinos in the United States are not as worried about immigration as pundits and many politicians would have you believe, according to a poll released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.
The survey conducted after President Trump’s election shows that jobs and terrorism are a top priority for Latinos in the U.S. — for both citizens and non-citizens. Among Latinos in general, 73 percent believe improving the educational system is a top priority, 69 percent believe protecting the nation from terror attacks is the top concern and 66 percent believe the top issue is improving the nation’s economy, while only 46 percent think dealing with immigration is the top concern.
The Pew poll does show that only Republican Latinos have a positive view of President Donald Trump. Among independents, just 22 percent have a great or good opinion of him and 36 percent have a poor or terrible view of the president. Latinos voters in general also view the Obama administration’s policies favorably.
The view that terror and jobs are more important than reforming the nation’s immigration system is not only found among American-born Latinos. Foreign-born Latinos place immigration as their fourth highest priority behind improving schools, protecting the nation from terror, and strengthening the nation’s economy.
Even among illegal immigrants, reforming the nation’s immigration system is second to improving schools, Pew found. However, around half of all Latinos do worry about a family member or a close friend being deported, according to the poll.
The poll was conducted between Dec. 7, 2016 and Jan. 15, 2017. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percent among all Latino respondents, plus or minus 4.8 percent among U.S. born Latinos, plus or minus 5.3 percent among foreign born Latinos and plus or minus 9.6 percent among illegal immigrant Latinos.