Poll: Nearly 9 in 10 want DACA recipients to stay in US

An overwhelming majority of Americans supports legal protections for certain undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, according to a new CBS News poll.

According to the survey, almost 9 in 10 respondents — 87 percent — said they believe that the so-called Dreamers should be allowed to remain in the U.S. if they meet certain requirements, such as working or going to school. 

The findings come as lawmakers struggle to strike a deal to protect those immigrants, who are covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. President Trump rescinded the Obama-era program last September, but he gave Congress until March to come up with a legislative solution for its recipients.

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Democrats have insisted that DACA’s protections be addressed in a must-pass government funding measure. But Trump has said that any deal on DACA must also provide for increased border security and help fund construction of his long-promised wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

Pollsters found that Americans are more divided on whether the issue is worth the risk of a government shutdown. 

Forty-six percent said that it is worth shuttering the federal government if a deal is not reached on DACA, while 48 percent said it is not.

The CBS News poll surveyed 1,225 Americans from Jan. 13 to 16. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.