The majority of Americans do not want the border wall between the United States and Mexico or the deportation of all undocumented immigrants, as proposed by presumptive Republican Presidential candidate nominee Donald Trump, but are more conflicted over his proposal to temporarily put a halt to Muslim immigration.
Trump’s changing rhetoric could well win over voters, according to a new poll conducted by the Associated Press-GfK. Only four in ten people agree with the border wall, with six in ten against it. The majority also favor a way to give undocumented immigrants legal status in the United States rather than deporting them. Over 50 percent of whites want undocumented immigrants to be provided with a pathway to US citizenship, as do two-thirds of African-Americans and 75 percent of Latinos.
However, Americans are only slightly more disposed to opposing the idea of a temporary ban on Muslim immigration by a margin of 52 to 45 percent. 69 percent of Republicans agree with the idea, but 68 percent of Democrats disagree. A third of non-whites support the idea contrasted with around 50 percent of whites.
The majority of Americans – 53 percent – believe that the United States is allowing too many immigrant refugees from Syria to enter the country against 33 percent who believe the balance is right, and just 11 percent who would like to see even more. President Barack Obama has promised to admit around 10,000 Syrian immigrant refugees in 2016.