Despite the uproar from Democrats over Trump’s proposal to send illegal aliens to sanctuary cities, a new poll from Monmouth University shows more Americans support Trump’s proposal than oppose it:
A more recent proposal is to relocate detained immigrants who are ready for release only to places that have declared themselves as sanctuary cities. American opinion is divided, with 46% who support this idea and 43% who are opposed. A majority of Republicans (55%) and independents (52%) favor this idea while few Democrats (31%) agree. When informed that President Trump supports this idea, 71% say it does not change their mind, while 16% say it makes them less likely to support the idea and 10% say it makes them more likely to support it. In effect, this does not change overall opinion on the sanctuary cities relocation proposal.
Patrick Murray, the director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, believes it is “difficult for the public to fully process these novel approaches,” because some were floated on Twitter, as opposed to official policy proposals. “If the president’s aim is to keep the immigration debate off balance, it may be mission accomplished,” he added.
Overall, Americans are very much divided over the issue of illegal immigration. While 73 percent of Americans believe illegal immigration is a serious issue, only 42 percent support a border wall. Roughly a quarter of Americans believe illegals take jobs from American citizens. More than half (51 percent) believe immigrants seeking asylum at the border should be made to wait in Mexico until their claims are processed. A plurality (46 percent) believe immigrants seeking asylum are really trying to get around the normal immigration process.
Monmouth University polled 801 adults from April 11 to 15. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member