Voters are evenly divided over whether young people brought to this country illegally by their parents should be viewed as breaking the law. Making a distinction between illegal immigrants and their children is at the heart of the so-called DREAM Act that some in Congress are hoping to pass before the end of the lame duck session.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 43% of Likely U.S. Voters say young people brought here illegally by their parents should be considered lawbreakers. Forty-four percent (44%) disagree and say they not be viewed as breaking the law. Thirteen percent (13%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) When it comes to adults, however, voters’ views are much clearer. Seventy-six percent (76%) say adults who enter the United States illegally should be considered lawbreakers. Just 12% disagree, and another 12% are not sure.
Fifty-eight percent (58%) of Americans oppose automatic citizenship for a child born in this country to an illegal immigrant.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on December 9-10, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports.
