Poll: 91% of Hispanics support a Dream Act
Michelle Lujan Grisham says results should be ‘guiding light’ for Congress
WASHINGTON — A national poll of Hispanic adults conducted in mid-September showed overwhelming support for allowing immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents a chance to earn citizenship without fear of deportation.
The poll, conducted by Latino Decisions — described as the “gold standard” of Hispanic polling by Time magazine — found that 91 percent of 755 Hispanic respondents nationwide want Congress to pass a so-called Dream Act to give those young people a path to citizenship.
Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a New Mexico Democrat who is chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, told reporters on a conference call Wednesday that the poll showed “Hispanic voters’ support of so-called Dreamers is unequivocal.”
“Every member of Congress — Democrat and Republican — should look at these poll results as their guiding light,” said Lujan Grisham, who is running for governor of New Mexico in 2018. “The Hispanic community will remember those who protected the futures of nearly 800,000 young patriots as they enter voting booths in upcoming elections.”
Rep. Steve Pearce, a New Mexico Republican who is also running for governor in 2018, has called on House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to find a legislative solution that would solve the Dreamers’ pending legal problem, noting that, for most, the U.S. is the only country they’ve ever known. Pearce, who has not signed on to legislation to address the issue, called the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program a “short-term solution.”
“We in New Mexico understand the harmful and damaging effects that temporary patchwork solutions to our nation’s immigration system can have on families,” Pearce said. “This kind of flawed reform fails to provide certainty and leaves millions with an illusion of hope.”
The poll also found that 79 percent of Hispanics opposed President Donald Trump’s move to end the DACA program. The program, put in place by former President Barack Obama’s executive action, allows Dreamers who meet certain criteria to remain in the U.S. without fear of deportation.
The White House announced in early September that it would end the program in 2018, but Trump also said he hoped Congress would find a legislative solution to allow Dreamers to remain in the country legally.
The poll also found that 24 percent of Hispanics approved of the job Trump is doing as president overall, while 76 percent disapproved. Fifty-three percent of the poll’s respondents cited immigration and the Dream Act as the most important issues facing the country.
The Latino Decisions poll was conducted Sept. 12-19 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.