Americans are sharply split on their reaction to President Barack Obama’s recent executive actions to protect about five million undocumented immigrants from deportation and give them temporary legal status, according to a new poll.
The Quinnipiac University survey released Tuesday found that 45% of voters support the President’s immigration moves, while 48% oppose them. The poll also shows support for immigrants at its lowest level ever measured by Qunnipiac: 48% of voters say undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay with a path to citizenship, down from 57% in November of 2013. And 35% say undocumented immigrants should be required to leave the U.S., up from 26% a year ago.
“Americans look at immigration reform with ambivalence,” said assistant Quinnipiac polling Tim Malloy said.
Within the Latino community the story is different: A poll conducted by Latino Decisions and commissioned by two pro-immigration reform groups found that almost 90% of Latino voters “support” or “strongly support” Obama’s executive action.
The Quinnipiac poll of 1,623 registered voters, conducted Nov. 18-23, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Jane Fonda Champions Climate Action for Every Generation
- Biden’s Campaign Is In Trouble. Will the Turnaround Plan Work?
- Why We're Spending So Much Money Now
- The Financial Influencers Women Actually Want to Listen To
- Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris
- Why TV Can’t Stop Making Silly Shows About Lady Journalists
- The Case for Wearing Shoes in the House
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com