A large majority of Georgians supports suspending the threat of deportation for immigrant parents living illegally in the U.S., the controversial centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s sweeping plan to overhaul the immigration system, a new poll commissioned by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows.
Conducted by phone from Jan. 5-8, the survey of 905 Georgians shows 67 percent support allowing immigrants without legal status to remain and work legally in the U.S. if they have lived here for at least five years, have no serious criminal convictions and have children who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. Thirty-one percent oppose it, and 2 percent didn’t know or didn’t answer the question.
Those poll results may surprise some observers because Georgia has traditionally taken a hard-line approach to illegal immigration. A deeply red state that sided with Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election, Georgia and 24 other states are now suing in a federal court to block Obama’s immigration plan, saying it is unconstitutional. The White House said it is acting within its legal authority.
On Wednesday, the Republican-led U.S. House approved a measure to halt the president’s actions. Georgia’s congressional delegation split along party lines on the measure, which faces long odds of becoming law. Senate moderates have expressed concerns about the legislation, and it has already drawn a White House veto threat.
In interviews this week, survey respondents who favor granting relief to immigrant parents cited humanitarian concerns, especially involving their children.
“Of course you want to keep them with their parents. It would be an atrocity to send their parents back,” Sheryl Padgett, a Columbia County resident and the senior minister at Unity of Augusta. “If I was to put myself in their shoes and I was facing deportation or my parents were facing deportation, I would be devastated. … Is that what we are about as a country — tearing families apart? I don’t think so.”
Other respondents cited upholding the rule of law. For example, Ronnie Purser, a retired paper mill worker from Byron in Middle Georgia, opposes Obama’s actions, calling them illegal. He sympathizes with immigrant parents but said they should not be allowed to remain in the U.S. if they are here illegally.
“Are we going to continue to let them do stuff illegally and then reward them for it? I don’t agree with that,” he said. “I hope they don’t separate their families, but that is the choice they made. I didn’t make that choice.”
Meanwhile, the AJC poll shows state residents remain nearly unchanged in their willingness to support a program that would grant immigrants without legal status the right to live legally in the U.S. if they pay a fine and meet other requirements. Fifty-five percent said they would support such a program, up from 54 percent in 2013, according to a similar AJC poll done that year. Forty-one percent said they would oppose it, up 1 percentage point from 2013.
In June of that year, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation that would provide a 13-year path to citizenship for millions of immigrants living illegally in the U.S. so long as they learn English and pay a fine and back taxes. But Republican House leaders refused to take up the bill, saying it would reward lawbreakers with amnesty and encourage more illegal immigration.
Citing inaction in Congress, Obama announced in November that his administration would shield immigrant parents from deportation. More than 4 million people are expected to be eligible nationwide.
Obama’s plan would provide them with three-year work permits and deportation deferrals. To be eligible, the parents must have lived in the U.S. for at least five years and have no serious criminal convictions.
There were 116,000 immigrants living in Georgia in 2012 without legal status but with U.S.-born children, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
“Are we a nation that accepts the cruelty of ripping children from their parents’ arms?” Obama asked during an address from the White House in November. “Or are we a nation that values families and works together to keep them together?”
Less than two weeks later, Georgia joined many other states in suing the Obama administration in a federal court in Texas. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, a George W. Bush nominee, has scheduled a hearing in the case for Thursday.
“As the complaint itself states, ‘This lawsuit is not about immigration. It is about the rule of law, presidential power, and enforcement of the U.S. Constitution,’ ” Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens said in a prepared statement released last month. “There is no question that immigration reform is needed. However, President Obama’s unconstitutional, short-term action only adds to uncertainty faced by those wishing to live in our country.”
In a pre-emptive strike in November, Republican state Sen. Joshua McKoon filed legislation seeking to block Georgia driver’s licenses for immigrants who receive a reprieve from deportation under the Obama administration’s actions. A similar GOP-backed measure died in last year’s legislative session.
Mae Williams, a retiree from Cook County in South Georgia, said she supports the president’s efforts to shield immigrant parents from deportation, noting she has a lot of friends from Mexico and overseas.
“People deserve a chance,” said Williams, a retired aluminum manufacturing company worker. “I think they should stay.”
David Lindsay of Roswell said he is opposed to automatically granting such relief for immigrant parents, citing concerns some are “gaming the system” by illegally entering the country to give birth so their children will become U.S. citizens.
“I think it is being abused and I don’t think they should get the benefit of the abuse,” said the retired college professor. “There are lots and lots of people with dual citizenship. And there is no reason why the kids can’t be U.S. citizens living in Mexico or living in Colombia or wherever it is. They don’t have to be living here.”
The AJC poll shows an equal percentage of men and women — 67 percent — support providing deportation deferrals and work permits to immigrant parents living without papers in the U.S. Support among Democratic respondents totaled 77 percent. That number dropped to 59 percent for Republicans.
Seventy-four percent of blacks indicated support compared with 62 percent of whites. Those living in metro Atlanta showed the most support — at 80 percent — compared with people in other parts of the state. The youngest group of those surveyed — ages 18-39 — support it the most at 78 percent. Those 40-64 years old showed the least support at 59 percent.
John Barton, a radiologist from Madison County, said he favors keeping families together. But he added the government should crack down on employers who hire immigrants without legal status.
“You make it so that there is just no way anybody will be hiring an illegal alien,” said Barton, who identified himself as a Republican. “But then you also have to provide the people those avenues to be able to be certified to be legitimately available to do those jobs.”
Like many others surveyed, Latynique Anderson of Camden County worries what would happen to the children if their parents were deported. She favors allowing their parents to remain legally in the U.S.
“They might as well stay here if they have already been here that long,” said Anderson, who works at a pharmaceutical calling center and describes her views as moderate. “There is no point of separating the kids from their families.”
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