Pew Study: Majority of US Residents Support Changes to Immigration System EFE
go to original May 10, 2013

Three-quarters of U.S. residents believe that the immigration system needs major changes, including a path toward legalizing the status of the undocumented population, according to a national survey released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.

Of the more than 1,500 people surveyed by Pew early this month, 35 percent said the immigration system should be "completely rebuilt."

However, the poll revealed a lack of consensus about how to deal with the 11 million undocumented people already in the United States with 73 percent saying there must be a way for them to remain in the country legally, 44 percent supporting a route to citizenship and 25 percent saying that the most appropriate response is for them to only be able to request legal residence.

Fifty-six percent of those surveyed said that they think that those who violate the laws should not receive the "reward" of legalization, as the detractors of immigration reform argue.

The survey results suggest that the April 15 bombings at the Boston Marathon had little impact on public opinion regarding the problem of illegal immigration.

With regard to border security, 53 percent of Americans think that the government in Washington can do much more to reduce the number of undocumented immigrants who cross the southern border, and just 13 percent think that there is little or nothing that can be done to increase monitoring in the area.

The survey emphasized the ideological differences on border security, given that 68 percent of conservative Republicans believe the government should do more on that score while just 37 percent of progressive Democrats share that opinion.

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