The great majority of people in the United States still support the idea of giving some kind of legal status to undocumented immigrants already living in the country; however, the latest opinion polls show that opposition is growing to amnesty, as is support for increased border security in the wake of the recent crisis that has seen tens of thousands of children from Central America illegally cross the border.
The humanitarian crisis is also resulting in growing public anger, according to those opposing the reform of the current immigration system. “I think it is the straw that broke the camel’s back,” claims the Federation for American Immigration Reform’s Bob Dane, who believes that the recent crisis has proved that the US border is far from secure and that the problem is getting worse, much to the chagrin of the general public.
There does seem to be a change in the attitude of people toward the idea of immigration reform in recent opinion polls, according to the Pew Research Center’s Mark Hugo Lopez. “Certainly it seems there has been some movement and opinion, particularly among Republicans, away from supporting legalization,” he says.
Lopez does point out, however, that there has also been a rise in the number of Americans from right across the political spectrum who believe that it is crucial to pass some sort of significant new legislation. Although most Americans still support immigration reform, the Tea Party faction of the Republican party has been very successful in preventing legislation on the issue being passed.