An immigration poll at odds with Trump
Majority in state want rights protected for those here illegally.
SACRAMENTO — A solid majority of Californians believe their state and local governments should make their own policies and take action to protect the rights of immigrants in the state illegally, according to a statewide survey released Tuesday.
The study by the Public Policy Institute of California also found that an overwhelming majority of state residents, from across party and ethnic lines, believe there should be a way for immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally to stay in the country if they meet certain requirements.
Researchers said the poll stands in sharp contrast to the position of President Trump both during and after last year’s campaign, but are rooted in views long held in California.
“Overwhelmingly and consistently, Californians have been saying there ought to be a path to citizenship,” said Mark Baldassare, the institute’s president and survey director.
The survey is based on 21-minute interviews with 1,702 California adult residents, including 681 conversations on landline telephones and 1,021 on cellphones. The calls took place on weekend days and weekday nights over nearly two weeks in late January.
Researchers found that 65% of all adults and 58% of likely voters favor state and local action on immigration. A majority of Californians from different ethnic groups and in regions across the state were in favor, including in Los Angeles, where 73% of respondents were in support.
But opinions varied widely across political lines: Eighty percent of Democrats said they wanted to see local and state governments develop their own measures, while 69% of Republicans opposed the move. Consistent with other surveys from the institute over the last year, an overwhelming majority of Californians, or 85%, said there should be a path to remain in the country for immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally if they meet certain requirements.
Overwhelming numbers of Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans and white residents said immigrants should be allowed to stay in the U.S., and support also came from strong majorities across political parties, including 93% of Democrats and 65% of Republicans.
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