Gallup: Record-High 75% of Americans Say Immigration Is Good Thing

Jay OwenGlobal Citizen

Record-High 75% of Americans Say Immigration Is Good Thing

by Megan Brenan

Story Highlights

  • Three-quarters of Americans think immigration is a good thing
  • 65% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents agree
  • 39% say immigration should be kept at present level, 28% say increased

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A record-high 75% of Americans, including majorities of all party groups, think immigration is a good thing for the U.S. — up slightly from 71% last year. Just 19% of the public considers immigration a bad thing.

Line graph: Americans views on immigration -- good thing or bad thing for the U.S.? 2018 good thing: 85% Dem., 65% Rep., 75% U.S. adults.

The latest findings are based on a Gallup poll conducted June 1-13, a key time for immigration reform in the U.S. as the House of Representatives debates the issue. The House will vote this week on two pieces of legislation that address several key immigration policy reforms. Among them are the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally at a young age with their parents and the border wall that has been the cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s immigration policy.

At the same time, Trump has been under strong bipartisan pressure to amend the “zero-tolerance” policy that resulted in the separation from their parents of more than 2,000 children of migrants illegally crossing the U.S. border from Mexico in recent months. Trump bowed to the pressure on Wednesday, signing an executive order to keep children and their parents in the same location.

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