Republicans Are At Odds With The Public On Immigration Reform & Citizenship

The national Republican Party leadership wanted their party to support immigration reform this year -- in the hope that would allow them to compete for Hispanic votes (especially in the next presidential election). But that just isn't happening. Although an immigration reform bill did pass the Senate, it was supported by only 14 Republicans and 32 Republicans voted against it -- certainly not numbers that would give Hispanics faith in the GOP.

And it looks even worse in the House of Representatives, which is controlled by Republicans. It now looks like the Republican leadership in the House won't even allow the Senate bill to come up for a vote. Instead, the Republicans are in the process of passing a bill that would do nothing but increase border security (which by itself has no chance of Senate or White House approval). And many Republicans are now saying that a bill with a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants will not be passed in the House this year.

Obviously, the House Republicans have decided they don't care about Hispanic votes (a demographic that is growing with each passing election). They will tell you that Whites (the only group they care anything about) don't want immigration reform -- and really don't want a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. But if that is what they think, then they are badly mistaken. While that might be the wishes of their teabagger base, it certainly is not the opinion of the general public -- or whites in general.

That is the conclusion shown by a new Gallup Poll (conducted between June 13th and July 5th of a nationwide sample of 4,373 adults -- with a margin of error of only 2 points). The above charts were made from information from that survey, and it shows that 71% of Americans think immigration reform is needed. And that view cuts across racial lines -- with 72% of Whites, 68% of Blacks, and 73% of Hispanics agreeing that it is needed.

And the American public wants more than just increased border security. Even larger majorities want that immigration reform to contain a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants -- and that desire cuts across both racial and political ideology lines (note the bottom chart above). And this extends to Whites (87%), and to conservative Whites (83%). What the Republicans are doing appeals to only a tiny portion of the population (the teabaggers), and ignores the wishes of most Americans -- even the White Americans they are trying to appeal to.

The GOP is playing a dangerous game by killing real immigration reform. They aren't just in danger of angering Hispanics, but the vast majority of all Americans.