People like the Democratic view on immigration legislation

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Poll: More Americans align with Democrats on immigration

Posted by CNN's Kevin Liptak, July 15, 2013

In the ongoing attempt to reform the nation's immigration system, more Americans find themselves agreeing with Democrats than Republicans, according to a poll released Monday.

The Gallup survey indicated 48% of adults said the Democratic view on immigration – which wasn't specified during questioning – most closely aligned with their own. Thirty-six percent said the Republican stance came closer to their view. Another 17% said they didn't have an opinion or that neither side shared their opinions.

The poll was conducted over a long period of time – from June 13 to July 5. That span included the day when the Senate approved bipartisan immigration reform legislation.

In the battle to overhaul the country's immigration structure, unlikely alliances have formed in Congress, including the bipartisan Gang of 8 that developed the Senate's plan, which passed with votes from both parties last month.

However, in the House, the GOP has appeared divided over a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. After a recent meeting of the GOP caucus, participants described a 50-50 split between those who view such a pathway as necessary to immigration reform and those who view it as amnesty.

Most Republicans agree that increasing border security is a top priority, and in the Senate-approved bill, major efforts to ramp up resources on the border were included as a prerequisite to a pathway to citizenship.

Overall, more Democratic lawmakers have voiced support for passing some kind of comprehensive immigration reform legislation, while some Republicans say a piece-by-piece approach is more suitable.

In the poll, non-Hispanic whites were split between the Democratic and Republican views on immigration, while blacks and Hispanics supported the Democratic stance by large majorities.

The poll was conducted by telephone from June 13-July 5, with 4,373 adults nationwide questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error was plus or minus two percentage points.

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