Two of three Americans “favor a plan to allow immigrants who are living illegally in the U.S. to remain in the country and become citizens if they meet certain requirements over time,” says Gallup. The figure was drawn from a poll conducted from June 15–July 10. Nineteen percent would deport all of the illegal immigrants and 14 percent would allow them to work in the country for a limited time. “U.S. adults’ views have been largely stable over the past decade,” says Gallup.
The Senate passed a comprehensive immigration bill in 2013 that included a path to citizenship, including special provisions for agricultural workers, but the issue has been moribund since then. Republican lawmakers say they favor step-by-step reforms that begin with border security. Farm groups say the current guest worker system is unwieldy and they need a source for a legal workforce. A large portion of farm workers are believed to be undocumented.
Gallup said 80 percent of Democrats and 50 percent of Republicans supported a path to legalization. Democratic support for the idea has grown and Republican support has diminished over the past 10 years.