WASHINGTON — ,
Americans are more concerned about legal immigrants breaking laws in the United States than they were a few years back, a trend that has been largely driven by Republican concerns. Democrats continue to view a wide range of benefits from immigration, according to a new poll.
According to the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research surveys, a significant proportion of Americans believe refugees are significant contributors to American society and contribute to the country’s economic growth. But when it comes to legal refugees, U. S. people see fewer big gains than they did in the past, and more big risks.
About 4 in 10 Americans believe that when newcomers officially enter the country, American businesses gain a significant advantage from having the expertise of highly skilled workers in areas like science and technology. A similar share ( 38 % ) also claim that legal immigrants make a significant difference by enhancing American values and culture.
When 59 % of Americans said experienced expatriate workers who enter the country lawfully were a key benefit, and 50 % said legal immigrants contribute a significant advantage by enriching American culture, both those numbers were down.
Meanwhile, the share of Americans who say that there’s a major risk that legal immigrants will commit crimes in the U. S. has increased, going from 19 % in 2017 to 32 % in the new poll.
Republicans were more likely than Democrats to acknowledge that immigration is important to them personally, and 41 % now, up from 20 % in 2017, believe that the risk of legal immigrants entering the country will be significant. Democrats are more likely to see significant risks and fewer benefits from immigrants who enter the country both officially and improperly, despite their preoccupation with immigrants who enter the country both fraudulently and illegally.
Bob Saunders is a 64- yr- ancient separate from Voorhees, New Jersey. He is particularly concerned about the number of immigrants entering the southern boundary who are ultimately released into the country because of President Joe Biden’s performance in terms of immigration and border security. He stressed that there’s a distinction between legal and illegal immigration. According to Saunders, it’s crucial to learn about the emigration history of the United States, and that authorized immigration boosts the economy. He also made note of the refugees who were from his own home.
” It’s no anti- immigration”, Williams said. ” It’s pro- improper emigration”.
Some Republicans, 71 %, say there’s a chance of people in the country improperly coming to the U. S. and committing crimes, although some studies have found refugees are less drawn to violent crime than indigenous- born people. About 6 in 10 Democrats are concerned that there is a significant risk of them taking American work, that their community development will weaken American identification, or that they will vote illegally despite the fact that only a small number of noncitizen citizens have been found to be uncovered, compared to 80 % of those who think the country is in danger of doing so.
Amber Pierce, a 43- year- ancient Republican from Milam, Texas, says she understands that a lot of migrants are seeking a better lifestyle for their children, but she’s also concerned migrants may be a drain on government services.
” I think a lot of them come over here and find free health care, and they take away from the people who have worked here and are people,” Pierce said. ” They get a free ride. I do n’t think that’s fair”.
Liberals, on the other hand, are more likely to benefit from immigration, despite the poll’s finding that even half of Democrats today believe that constitutional refugees are contributing significant to American businesses, down more than 20 percentage points from 2017. However, they’re more possible than Republicans to believe that the ability of people to travel from other parts of the world to avoid violence or get economic options is incredibly or very important to the United States. S’s personality as a society.
” People who are coming, are coming for good reason. It’s how many of us got around”, said Amy Wozniak, a Democrat from Greenwood, Indiana. Wozniak asserted that past tides of refugees had originated in European nations. Now immigrants are coming from different countries but that does n’t mean they’re not fleeing for justifiable reasons, she said:” They’re not all drugs and thugs”.
There’s also a divide among partisans about the value of diversity, with 83 % of Democrats saying that the country’s diverse population makes it at least moderately stronger, compared with 43 % of Republicans and Independents. Democrats are more likely than Democrats to believe that a shared American society and set of values are crucial to the country’s personality, despite the fact that about half of Democrats also believe this to be crucial.
Republicans in particular are more likely than Americans to claim that refugees have considerably altered the country over the past five years. About 3 in 10 Americans believe that refugees have had a significant influence on their local communities, whereas 6 in 10 claim that they have had a significant impact on the country as a whole. The divide between the perceptions of society impact and results on the nation as a whole is mainly large among Republicans.
There is some bipartisan consensus on how to handle emigration from the United States to Mexico. About 8 in 10 Democrats and about 50 % of Democrats support the hiring of more Border Patrol agents, which is the most common question. Legislatures of both parties favor hiring more immigration courts and judge employees.
There is a much larger political divide there, with more Republicans than Democrats supporting this approach, but about half of Americans support reducing the number of newcomers who are permitted to request asylum in the United States when they enter the country. The least favored and most controversial of the four options is building a wall, which was former president Donald Trump’s personal plan goal. About 4 in 10 favor building a wall, including 77 % of Republicans but just 12 % of Democrats.
Donna Lyon is a Political- leaning separate from Cortland, New York. She thinks a border wall did not prevent workers well. However, she supports hiring more Border Patrol agents and more emigration court courts to handle the growing number of immigration judge instances:” That would prevent all the copy that we have.”
There has n’t been a significant increase in funding for more immigration judges in the last two years, despite the fact that Congress just recently approved funding to hire about 2, 000 more Border Patrol agents. Some on both sides of the aisle claim that asylum cases take far too long to be decided, leaving migrants waiting for years before a choice, but parties have failed to reach a consensus on how to approach the issue.
The surveys of 1, 282 adults was conducted March 21- 25, 2024, using a test drawn from NORC’s possibility- based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be official of the U. S. people. For all respondents, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
