More young immigrants without legal status identify with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party when it comes to the hot-button issue of immigration, but only half say they are Democrats, a new nationwide survey shows.
While 44 percent feel somewhat or much closer to the Democratic Party based on their positions on immigration, only 5 percent feel this way about the GOP.
Further, 68 percent agree or strongly agree they could not support the Republican Party or its candidates “as long as immigration reform is not passed.” The number was 41 percent for the Democratic Party.
At the same time, the survey results contradict the popular perception that the vast majority of young immigrants without legal status are Democrats. Of those surveyed, only half said they are Democrats, while 45 percent identified themselves as independents or members of other political parties.
The survey was commissioned by two immigrant rights groups: Unbound Philanthropy and the Own the Dream Research Institute at United We Dream.
Unbound Philanthropy describes itself as a private grant-making foundation that supports creating a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who have roots but no legal status in the U.S. United We Dream, a nonpartisan network of affiliate organizations in many states, also supports creating such a route to citizenship.
The survey — conducted online last year and this year — drew responses from 1,472 immigrants between the ages of 18 and 35. They live in 42 states, including Georgia, plus the District of Columbia. Tom Wong, a political science professor at the University of California at San Diego, led the survey.
The results were released Tuesday as legislation remains stalled in Congress that would create a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants living illegally in the U.S. Last year, the Democratic-led Senate passed the bipartisan legislation, and President Barack Obama has endorsed the measure. But the Republican-led House has refused to take it up, dismissing it as an amnesty bill that would reward lawbreakers.
Obama won re-election in 2012 with about 70 percent of the Hispanic vote. Republican critics accused the president of playing politics that year when his administration created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. That program grants deportation deferrals and work permits to young immigrants who were illegally brought to the U.S. and who have attended school here and not been convicted of felonies. Supporters say the program is a humanitarian initiative.
Nearly all who participated in the survey were given deportation deferrals through the program. The program doesn’t grant them the right to vote in the U.S. But many of those surveyed indicated they are politically active. For example, 41 percent said they have participated in a political rally or demonstration and have contacted or tried to contact congressmen.
Nearly half the survey’s respondents said the Deferred Action program has allowed them to become more financially independent. Further, 23 percent reported returning to school, 20 percent said they had bought their first car and 37 percent said they got their first credit card after the Deferred Action program started. Still, 66 percent continue to feel anxious because they have relatives and friends who haven’t been accepted into the program and are vulnerable.
As of March 31, 553,197 people have been granted deportation deferrals through the program nationwide. Of those, 17,356 live in Georgia.
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