A Politico poll taken from August 29 through September 7 showed that 64 percent of those polled disapproved of the way that President Obama is handling immigration, with only 35 percent approving.
In the same poll, respondents said they trust the Republican Party better than the Democratic Party to handle immigration by a 34-percent to 31-percent margin.
When asked how important the issue of “comprehensive immigration reform” is in determining which candidates they will support in November, 75 percent said the issue is important while 25 percent said it is not.
When the poll asked participants if they support or oppose “comprehensive immigration reform,” 66 percent replied that they support such reform while 33 percent opposed it. However, the poll did not define what “comprehensive immigration reform” is. The term has often been bandied about by both the Obama administration and supporters of the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” immigration bill that was passed by the Senate last year.
Legislation that purports to accomplish “immigration reform” often includes a “path to citizenship” for illegal immigrants, which is simply a less-than-transparent way of saying “amnesty.” It is impossible to determine whether those polled were aware of this component of “immigration reform” when they supplied their answers, but their replies to other questions indicate they very likely were not.
For example, when asked if they support having the illegal immigrant children who came unaccompanied to the United States stay in this country (after appropriate hearings) or if they support deporting them, 49 percent favored deportation and only 29 percent supported allowing them to stay.
When asked if they support a “pathway to citizenship” for “undocumented immigrants” now in the United States, the results was very close, with 51 percent in favor and 49 percent opposed, and one percent who declined to answer. Considering that the question mirrored the terminology used by those promoting “immigration reform” that includes amnesty for at least some illegal immigrants, it is fair to assume that if the question had been worded, “Do you support amnesty for illegal immigrants now living in the United States,” the results might easily have tipped in the other direction.
