Migrants' rights activists demonstrated at
the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City on inauguration day. "Courage,
migrants," says the sign at right.
WASHINGTON - More than 6 in 10 Americans now favor allowing illegal
immigrants to eventually become U.S. citizens, a major increase in
support driven by a turnaround in Republicans' opinions after the 2012
elections.
The finding, in a new Associated Press-GfK poll, comes as the Republican
Party seeks to increase its meager support among Latino voters, who
turned out in large numbers to help re-elect President Obama in
November.
Emboldened by the overwhelming Hispanic backing and by shifting
attitudes on immigration, Obama has made overhauling laws about who can
legally live in the U.S. a centerpiece of his second-term agenda. In the
coming weeks, he's expected to aggressively push for ways to create an
eventual pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal
immigrants who are already in this country.
The poll results suggest that the public overall, not just Hispanics,
will back his efforts. Sixty-two percent of Americans now favor
providing a way for illegal immigrants in the U.S. to become citizens,
an increase from just 50 percent in the summer of 2010, the last time
the AP polled on the question.
In an even earlier poll, in 2009, some 47 percent supported a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Further boosting the president on the issue, Democrats have opened a 41
percent to 34 percent advantage as the party more trusted to handle
immigration, the first time they've held a significant edge on the
matter in AP-GfK polling.
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