A majority of American citizens believe that most or all illegal immigrants should be deported, according to a new Reuters/Ipos poll.
According to Reuters, which reported the findings Wednesday evening, 30 percent of Americans polled in the online survey said they think most illegal immigrants should be deported, with some exceptions. Twenty-three percent said they think all illegal immigrants should be deported.
Five percent said that all illegal immigrants should stay, according to Reuters, and 31 percent said most illegal immigrants should remain in the country. (RELATED: Polls also generally show support for offering immigrants pathway to citizenship)
The poll comes as Washington debates how to reform the nation’s immigration system and what to do with the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the country.
The report further notes that views on immigration differ among party affiliations, with 75 percent of Republicans saying they think all or most illegal immigrants should be deported. Forty percent of Democrats said they believe the same. (RELATED: Obama’s immigration proposal offers boon to immigration lawyers)
The poll was conducted from Feb. 15 to 19, and surveyed 1,443 Americans adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.