A new Gallup poll finds that 41 percent of Americans want immigration levels to decrease than increase; just 22 percent want levels to increase. That’s nearly a two-to-one margin.
If you go by party identification, 50 percent of Republicans, 43 percent of independents, and 32 percent of Democrats wish to see the flow of immigrants reduced.
As our economic torpor continues under the Obama administration, the sentiments towards the issue of immigration will remain heated.
Lydia Saad of Gallup wrote, “Deciding how many new immigrants to welcome each year can be controversial, particularly when unemployment is high, and seeming competition for good jobs already fierce.”
But if progressives are looking for a way to create some frivolous narrative about racism with this poll, they’re out of luck. The percentage of those saying immigration levels should decrease has virtually remained the same. On average, 42 percent have held that view since 1999.
Lastly, the percentage of Americans saying that immigration is a “good thing” for the country remains high at 63 percent. There are also healthy majorities when you break the numbers down by political affiliation. Seventy-two percent of Democrats, 63 percent of independents, and 55 percent of Republicans all think immigration is good for America.
Nevertheless, groups like United We Dream, an organization that seeks to expand protections for illegal aliens, plans to storm the Rayburn Building this afternoon over Republicans’ “harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric.”
