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Omaha Steve

(99,556 posts)
Mon Nov 25, 2013, 02:09 AM Nov 2013

In Report, 63% Back Way to Get Citizenship

Source: NY Times

By JULIA PRESTON

A consistent and solid majority of Americans — 63 percent — crossing party and religious lines favors legislation to create a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living in the United States illegally, while only 14 percent support legal residency with no option for citizenship, according a report published Monday by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute.

Those surveyed expressed strong support for citizenship for 11.7 million immigrants in the country without documents just as Congress appears to be shifting away from that approach, with Republican leaders in the House working on measures that would offer legal status without a direct path to naturalization.

Sixty percent of Republicans, 57 percent of independents and 73 percent of Democrats favor a pathway to citizenship, according to the report. Majorities of Protestants, Catholics and Americans with no religious affiliation also support that plan.

The institute found that there is slightly less support for limiting the immigrants to legal residency than there is for a tough enforcement strategy of identifying and deporting them, a policy favored by 18 percent.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/25/us/in-report-63-back-way-to-get-citizenship.html?partner=EXCITE&ei=5043

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geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)
2. Just like gun background checks, popular policy that will never be enacted.
Mon Nov 25, 2013, 02:20 AM
Nov 2013

Those three along with the impossibility of climate change legislation show how broken Congress is.

pampango

(24,692 posts)
3. "seven in 10 Americans believe the 13-year wait for citizenship under the Senate bill is too long."
Mon Nov 25, 2013, 06:24 AM
Nov 2013
The group drilled down into that issue, creating subgroups for the November survey who were asked questions with differing levels of detail about the requirements immigrants should have to meet to become citizens. When there was no mention of requirements, 59 percent supported an option for citizenship. When the question specified that immigrants would have to pay back taxes, learn English and pass background checks, support increased to 71 percent.

The requirements were “most important for Republicans,”
the report said. When the question did not mention requirements, only about four in 10 Republicans supported citizenship. When the requirements were described in more detail, Republican support increased to 62 percent.

According to the report, nearly seven in 10 Americans believe the 13-year wait for citizenship under the Senate bill is too long, while 24 percent said it was just right.

The institute found that Americans living in Ohio — the home state of Speaker John A. Boehner, a Republican — are significantly more likely than those in Arizona and Florida to say “things have gotten worse” in the country over all and to hold negative views of immigrants. Nevertheless, the surveys found similarly broad agreement in all three states on a pathway to citizenship, with 60 percent of Ohio residents favoring that approach.

davidpdx

(22,000 posts)
4. I think the goal should be to cut it to 7 years
Mon Nov 25, 2013, 07:07 AM
Nov 2013

Given the amount of backlog it's going to take a long time to get through processing people. If it is streamlined somehow it should be possible.

Nothing is going to pass unless we get the House back next year though.

The New York Times description of "back door citizenship" is a bad choice of words.

murielm99

(30,724 posts)
5. Thank you for the story and the link.
Tue Nov 26, 2013, 12:42 AM
Nov 2013

However, I had to read the headline a couple of times, and the paragraphs you posted a couple more before I could make any sense of things. Whoever wrote that headline is illiterate and has no business writing for the New York Times, or any other paper. Journalism sucks these days.

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