White House Immigration Plan Draws Broad Support from Voters in Seven Battleground States, Finds New Poll

The outline of an immigration overhaul laid out by the White House in May, dealing with border security, deterring illegal immigration, asylum abuse, and reforms to our legal immigration process are overwhelmingly supported by likely voters in seven swings states that will decide the outcome of the next election.

The polls were conducted during the final week of May by Zogby Analytics, a national polling firm, on behalf of the Federation for American Immigration Reform. The seven states polled were:  Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

The poll sought voters’ opinions on key points of the White House plan, and whether candidates’ positions on these issues would affect their voting decision in the next election. Among the key findings of the polling:

• A clear majority of voters in all seven states support construction of secure border fencing as part of an effort to halt illegal immigration and other illegal activity.
  
   
• Upwards of 60 percent of likely voters in all seven states support efforts that would “prevent migrants from making fraudulent [asylum] claims and being released into the country.”
  
   
• A majority of voters in all seven states support reforms to create a legal immigration system that “gives priority to higher-wage workers who are self-sufficient.”
  
   
• Likewise, clear majorities approve of reforms to the legal immigration process that “give greater preference to immigrants with needed skills, and limit family-based immigration to spouses and minor children.”
  
   
• Although it was not explicitly called for in the White House plan, three-quarters, or more, of voters in each of these battleground states support mandatory use of E-Verify by all employers to prevent illegal aliens from taking jobs in the U.S.
  
   
• Immigration is an issue that is likely to sway voters’ decisions. Clear majorities of voters in these swing states indicated that candidates’ views on these immigration issues would affect how they vote.

In the run-up to the 2020 election, these polling data indicate that a full-scale effort by the White House to enact meaningful legislation that ends the current border chaos and adopt a merit-based legal immigration system would be viewed favorably by voters in the key states where the presidency and control of Congress will be decided.

A state-by-state breakdown of the polling data in each of the seven states is available here:

Arizona  |  Florida  |  Michigan  |  Ohio  |  Pennsylvania  |  South Carolina  |  Wisconsin