Half of Americans believe deportation is important, Pew survey finds
Under President Donald Trump, the US' immigration policy has become a hot topic of discussion. In his bid to secure the borders of America, the incumbent president has come up with a slew of strong measures that include building a wall at the border to pressuring neighboring Mexico to stop the flow of illegal immigrants from Central American nations through its territory.
The Pew Research Center (PRC) recently came up with a survey that showed how Americans view policies related to immigration. The findings were quite contrasting. While 68 percent said it is somewhat important to raise security along the US-Mexico border, a staggering 73 percent said it is important to accept refugees escaping war and violence. However, the Americans were more divided over the importance of increasing deportations of illegal immigrants. While 54 percent said the issue is very or a somewhat important goal, 45 percent said it is not too important or not important at all. The survey also found that 67 percent of Americans feel it is very or somewhat important to set up a way for most illegal immigrants in the country to stay legally.
More Republicans feel increasing deportations is important
To break it up party-wise, while 83 percent of Republicans said that increasing the deportations is important (51 percent of them said it is very important), only 31 percent among the Democrats felt it is important and only 10 percent saying it is very important.
The survey was conducted between September 3 and 15. In the fiscal that ended that month, the number of migrants apprehended at the US-Mexico border reached the highest level in the last 12 years. However, recent reports have said the number of illegal immigrants arrested at the southern border has gone down by over 70 percent since May this year. Also, the number of non-Mexicans made up 80 percent of the apprehensions in fiscal 2019, far outnumbering the Mexicans. In 2000, they made up just two percent while Mexicans constituted 98 percent. The PRC survey also said that it is for the first time since 2007 that the number of refugees being resettled into America is at its lowest point in nearly four decades.
Americans' take on immigration priorities have changed
The survey added that the Americans’ viewpoints on immigration priorities have changed somewhat over the past three years. In 2016, they were slightly less likely to say it’s important to set up a way for those who are staying in the US illegally. And at the same time, they were slightly more likely to say that it is important to raise deportations. And a remarkable change in the last three years is that while 61 percent then felt that admitting refugees escaping war and violence was a very or somewhat important goal, now that figure has touched 73 percent.
In 2016, only 40 percent of the Republicans felt that admitting refugees is an important goal and today, the figure has gone up to 58 percent. Besides, Republicans who felt that admitting refugees should be somewhat important goal has gone up from 28 percent in 2016 to 43 percent in 2019. The proportion of Republicans who said it should be a very important goal is 15 percent today, compared to 13 percent in 2016.