Business leaders in Georgia yesterday released survey results showing that the great majority of people in their state want US citizenship or legal status to be offered to undocumented immigrants living there. 35% of those polled said they support these immigrants being given legal status, with a further 26% supporting the offer of a pathway to citizenship. 34% want undocumented immigrants deported, with the remaining 5% being undecided.
509 Georgia voters were surveyed by Harper Polling over the phone between 26th and 30th June. The poll was conducted on behalf of the Partnership for a New American Economy, which is a group of mayors and business leaders that wants a path to legal status to be offered to undocumented immigrants already living in the United States. These business leaders include the former chief executive of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, and Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York.
A total of 88% of those surveyed believe that there needs to be a reform of the existing immigration system in the United States, with most respondents adding that they agree with any plan that would increase border security, provide a verification program to determine if people are legally eligible to work in the country, and offer more US visas for farm laborers and highly-skilled workers.
“Our broken immigration system is not a problem that can be put off,” says the executive director of the Georgia Restaurant Association, Karen Bremer. “I need certainty for our industry – and we as a nation need the certainty that comes with getting control of our borders and restoring the rule of law.”