Across Religious and Party Lines, Steady Support for Path to Citizenship

As we present our latest immigration report here in Baltimore at the American Academy of Religion’s Annual Conference, be sure to check out my latest on the report’s findings over at The Washington Post.

Despite the ups and downs of the prospects for comprehensive immigration reform in Congress, public support for a path to citizenship for immigrants currently living in the United States illegally has remained steady throughout 2013. Immigration reform has continued to receive bipartisan and cross-religious support, remaining one of those rare issues that largely transcends such divisions.

PRRI’s newly released report, What Americans (Still) Want from Immigration Reform, finds that today, 63 percent of Americans favor providing a way for immigrants who are currently living in the United States illegally to become citizens provided they meet certain requirements; 14 percent support allowing them to become permanent legal residents but not citizens; and roughly 1-in-5 (18 percent) favor a policy that would identify and deport all immigrants living in the United States illegally. This support for a path to citizenship has remained unchanged from earlier this year, when in both March and August 2013 an identical number (63 percent) supported a path to citizenship for immigrants currently living in the United States illegally.

The survey finds all major political groups currently favor creating a path to citizenship, including roughly 6-in-10 Republicans (60 percent) and independents (57 percent) and more than 7-in-10 (73 percent) Democrats. Majorities of all major religious groups also support a path to citizenship, including white evangelical Protestants (55 percent), white mainline Protestants (60 percent), Catholics (62 percent), minority Protestants (69 percent), and the religiously unaffiliated (64 percent).

For the full piece, head on over to Figuring Faith, my blog at The Washington Post.