A new poll found that a majority of Americans support allowing immigrants living in the country illegally to stay and be granted legal status, a finding that Inland Southern California immigrant rights groups say is not surprising.googleoff: all
But to some, including Robin Hvidston, with We the People Rising, that sentiment is not one she’s seeing among many Inland residents.googleoff: all
“American citizens that I’m talking to are in pretty bad places,” Hvidston said, who said more money should go to people in need who are already citizens. “People are underemployed. They’re more concerned with their own families. I am suspicious of this poll just because the American population itself is suffering right now.”googleoff: all
The survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center, found that 72 percent of Americans support legal status for such immigrants.googleoff: all
Javier Hernandez, director for the Justice for Immigrants Coalition of Inland Southern California, said his group has seen support here from unexpected allies who helped mobilize against anti-illegal immigrant protests that garnered media attention in Murietta last year.googleoff: all
On July 1 in that community, as the nation watched on news broadcasts, demonstrators blocked three buses filled with Central American migrant children and their parents or guardians from entering the Border Patrol station for processing.googleoff: all
Hernandez said church groups helped with fund-raising efforts, in the days and weeks after the protests, to benefit the families and staged an interfaith prayer that attracted hundreds of people.googleoff: all
Pew Research polled 2,002 adults from May 12-18. About half, 51 percent, said immigrants strengthen the country because of their hard work and talents, and 41 percent said they’re are a burden because they take jobs, housing and health care. The share that said immigrants strengthen the country decreased by 6 percentage points since last year. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.googleoff: all
“That doesn’t strike me as too dramatic a change,” said Louis DeSipio, UC Irvine political science professor, noting it is not a several-year trend. “I wouldn’t read too much into that.”googleoff: all
Karthick Ramakrishnan, a UC Riverside professor of public policy, said the Pew survey is consistent with previous surveys that show majority support for immigration reform but with a clear political divide. Almost twice as many Republicans as Democrats, for example, said immigrants are a burden.googleoff: all
“Generally, immigration is not a top issue for voters,” Ramakrishnan said, but it becomes more salient for activists and voters who turn out for primary elections. As the presidential election approaches, Republican candidates “will feel pressure to stake out conservative positions on immigration, with heavy emphasis on enforcement.”googleoff: all
The poll also found that 56 percent of Republicans agree that immigrants living in the U.S. illegally should be able to stay as long as they meet certain criteria. The poll question did not specify what those requirements might be.googleoff: all
For Menifee Mayor Scott Mann, the head of the county’s Republican Party, that criteria should involve securing the border.googleoff: all
The Pew survey found that about half of Americans, such as Mann, think a lot more can be done to accomplish this. Border security is a common starting point among many Republicans for any plan to overhaul the country’s immigration system.googleoff: all
“It’s just the only way to do it,” Mann said.googleoff: all
Mann acknowledged that many immigrants come to the U.S. out of necessity. “There are folks who are here,” he said, “who came here out of oppression, or fear from wherever they came from ... and that’s what America has always been, a big melting pot.”googleoff: all
“In recent years, California has been more immigrant-friendly,” Hernadez said. “California acknowledges that immigrants are essential to our economy.”googleoff: all
Such proof, he said, is the recent passing of a bill that extends health coverage to children who are in the country illegally. That bill, Senate Bill 4, made its way to the Assembly on a 28-11 vote. If passed by the Assembly, it still would need to be signed by Gov. Jerry Brown.googleoff: all
“As we invest more in the immigrant community, as a state, we’re getting more benefits than ignoring our population,” Hernandez said.