Majority against border wall, favors pathway to citizenship for Dreamers: poll

The majority of Americans in a new poll say they do not support constructing additional barriers on the U.S. southern border.

According to a Gallup Poll released Wednesday, 57 percent of respondents said they either “oppose” or “strongly oppose” increasing border wall construction.

Forty-one percent said they either “favor” or “strongly favor” building more fencing.

The results fell on party lines, with 73 percent of Republicans or individuals who tilt toward the Republican Party saying they back additional border wall construction. Only 13 percent of Democrats or individuals who slant to the left say they supported that policy.

A majority of Republicans and independents who tilt toward the GOP, 75 percent, support a policy that would let undocumented immigrants who were unlawfully brought to the U.S. when they were children pursue a path to citizenship should they adhere to specific conditions. 

An even higher percentage of Democrats or individuals who slant toward the Democratic Party, 92 percent, support this type of policy.

Results of the poll come as President Trump and Congress face fierce criticism over the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy at the southern border, which has caused children to be separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions unveiled the new policy in April, which called for the Justice Department to prioritize the criminal prosecution of individuals attempting to unlawfully cross the border.

The Associated Press in a report earlier this month said approximately 2,000 children were removed from their families in recent weeks.

The House is slated to vote Thursday on two different pieces of immigration legislation. President Trump said Tuesday that he backs Republican House members “1,000 percent” in their push for legislation.

Senate Republicans on Tuesday expressed support for legislation that would end the separations at the border.

The Gallup survey of 1,520 individuals was conducted from June 1-13 by phone. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.