Padilla Statement on New Gallup Poll Showing Surge in Support for Immigration, Widespread Opposition to Trump’s Inhumane Policies
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, issued the following statement after Gallup released a new poll showing a sharp increase in support for immigration and broad disapproval of President Trump’s mass deportation agenda:
“The numbers don’t lie: the majority of Americans agree that immigration is overwhelmingly good for our country and our economy. As the nation watches Donald Trump and Stephen Miller’s cruel policies separate families and sow fear in our communities — in our parks, our restaurants, our hospitals — they’ve become deeply unpopular, sparking a fierce backlash from the public and uniting people across the country against the President’s mass deportation agenda.
“We know our economy depends on the essential contributions of immigrants. California is the fourth-largest economy in the world not in spite of immigrants, but because of their contributions not only as a workforce, but as consumers and as entrepreneurs.
“Now is the time to finally deliver a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, farm workers, and other long-term residents of our nation who have been living and working in the shadows for far too long.”
In just one year, public support for reducing immigration has fallen by nearly half: only 30 percent of respondents said that immigration should be reduced, compared to 55 percent last year. An all-time record 79 percent of Americans believe immigration is a good thing for the country, with only 17 percent (a record-low) saying it’s a bad thing. Support for providing permanent pathways to citizenship is notably up from last year, with 78 percent of Americans agreeing that undocumented immigrants living in the United States deserve the chance to become citizens if they meet certain requirements over a period of time (up 8 percent from last year). At the same time, support for hiring more Border Patrol agents has plummeted by 17 percent since just last year, while support for the border wall and mass deportation has also begun to erode.
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