The partisan gulf on immigration proposals is so wide that there is little to no common ground to be found between the right and left on policy solutions, according to a report. new vote commissioned by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
The poll, conducted by Ipsos, asked respondents to rate their support or opposition to eight different immigration policies, and none of the proposals received majority support from either Democrats or Republicans.
Three proposals came close.
Of all respondents, 66 percent said they would support making it easier for people fleeing violence to immigrate to the United States; 84% of Democrats supported this idea, as did 64% of independents and 49% of Republicans.
Increasing penalties for companies that hire undocumented workers was supported by 85 percent of Republican respondents, 67 percent of independents, 66 percent of all respondents and 48 percent of Democrats.
And the increase in deportations found support from 89% of Republicans, 66% of independents, 65% of all respondents and 46% of Democrats.
The poll comes as the Biden administration is evaluating options for addressing immigration through executive action, including potentially making more immigrants eligible to work legally or cracking down on asylum at the border.
In the survey, proposals aimed at facilitating immigration or regularizing their status for foreign citizens received the approval of at least 73 percent of Democrats, and only obtained 40 percent approval among Republicans in one case.
The proposal with the biggest Republican-Democrat divide was the expansion of the border wall. An overwhelming 87% of Republicans support this idea, while just 28% of Democrats do. Overall, respondents were evenly divided on the wall: 52% of independents and 54% of respondents overall approved of building the wall.
Democratic support was highest for creating a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently in the country: 85 percent of Democrats, 60 percent of respondents overall, and 59 percent of independents support that notion, although only 33 percent of Republicans agree.
A watered-down version of a path to citizenship, “establishing a way for most immigrants who are currently in the country illegally to remain here legally,” drew support from 80% of the survey’s Democratic respondents, 54% of respondents overall and 52% of respondents. of independents.
Republicans overwhelmingly reject the idea: just 27% expressed approval.
A proposal to increase the number of people allowed to come legally drew support from 73% of Democrats, 56% of independents, 55% of all respondents and 36% of Republicans.
Ahead of the November elections, the partisan divide presents a challenge for both parties to appease their respective bases and, at the same time, win over undecided and centrist voters.
Republicans are pushing the issue more aggressively – a AdImpact Analysis of advertising spending commissioned by Immigration Hub found that the Republican Party spent $38 million on “anti-immigrant TV ads” tied to federal, state and local races in six swing states.
Excluding Montana, where Democrats and Democratic-aligned groups spent $1 million on television and digital ads, “Democratic candidates and groups spent $2,534 on 3 ads that aired 25 times in Texas.” Anti-immigration ads received 2.3 billion views, compared to 25 million for pro-immigration ads, according to that report.
And the report found that most Republican and Republican-leaning ads were placed in North Carolina, Texas and Ohio, states where Republicans already hold an advantage.
These investments could resolve intra-party divisions on immigration.
Research from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found significant differences in attitudes toward proposed policy solutions between “Trump Republicans” and “Non-Trump Republicans,” and between liberal Democrats and moderate or conservative Democrats.
The poll defined Trump Republicans as those respondents who expressed a very favorable opinion of former President Trump, and non-Trump Republicans as those who expressed somewhat favorable or unfavorable opinions. The two groups are roughly evenly split — 53% of Republican respondents fell into the pro-Trump category and 47% did not.
Among Democrats, the biggest divide was in support for building the border wall. Liberals overwhelmingly reject the idea: Just 15 percent said they support more wall building, while moderate and conservative Democrats are split, with 56 percent supporting it.
The rise in deportations and increased penalties for companies that hire undocumented workers also showed splits of nearly 30 percentage points among Democrats.
These three policies garnered overwhelming support among all Republican respondents, but measures to increase immigration or allow immigrants to obtain documents proved divisive among Republicans.
The biggest split was between the 42% of non-Trump Republicans who favor allowing most undocumented immigrants to remain in the country legally, while just 15% of Trump supporters favor such a measure.
Similarly, the path to citizenship drew 46% support among non-Trump Republicans and 22% among Trump supporters.
A majority of non-Trump Republican voters expressed support for making it easier for immigrants on temporary visas to remain in the United States and for making it easier for people fleeing violence to come to the country, while only about a third of pro-Trump Republicans supported these measures. measures.
The poll was conducted April 5-4 among a weighted national sample of 1,021 adults nationwide, with an overall reported margin of error of 3.3 percent and a 6.3 percent margin of error for Republicans , a 5.8-point margin for Democrats and a 5.1-point margin for independents.
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