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Voters Nix State Coronavirus Economic Aid for Illegal Immigrants

California Governor Gavin Newsom has authorized $500 cash payments to all illegal immigrants in his state in response to the economic impact of the coronavirus, but voters aren’t keen to that idea in their home state.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 36% of Likely U.S. Voters favor cash payments to illegal immigrants in their state because of the coronavirus. But 50% are opposed. Fourteen percent (14%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Seventy-two percent (72%) of Republicans and 53% of voters not affiliated with either major party oppose cash payments to illegal immigrants in their state. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of Democrats favor the idea.

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of all voters continue to believe that anyone who receives local, state or federal government services should be required first to prove they are legally allowed to be in the United States. But this is down from a high of 81% in 2015 and 76% in May of last year. Twenty-eight percent (28%) oppose such a requirement, while 14% are not sure.

Fifty percent (50%) still think the availability of government money and services draw illegal immigrants to the United States, but this too is down from 2010’s high of 66% and 59% as recently as a year ago. Thirty-three percent (33%) disagree. Seventeen percent (17%) are undecided.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted April 16 and 19, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

In the latest Rasmussen Reports Weekly Immigration Index, 40% of Likely U.S. Voters feel the government is doing too little to reduce illegal border crossings and visitor overstays. Thirty-two percent (32%) say it is doing too much. Twenty-one percent (21%) rate the level of action as about right.

The partisan divide over illegal immigration is well-illustrated by this poll. While 72% of Republicans and unaffiliated voters by a 49% to 28% margin think the availability of government money and benefits are a magnet for illegal immigrants, just 32% of Democrats agree.

Similarly, 82% of GOP voters and 58% of unaffiliateds believe anyone who receives local, state or federal government services should be required to prove first that they are legally allowed to be here. Only 35% of Democrats share that view.

Those under 40 are the most supportive of cash payments to illegal immigrants in their state because of the coronavirus but are in general agreement with their elders on the other questions.

Blacks and other minority voters are twice as likely as whites to support cash economic help to illegal immigrants in their home state. Blacks are by far the strongest opponents of requiring those who receive government benefits to prove beforehand that they are here legally.

Voters still favor tough border control and say it’s too easy to get in and stay in the United States illegally.

Voters aren’t thrilled with the idea of living in a community that protects illegal immigrants from federal authorities. But they support only narrowly a law that would allow victims of crimes by those illegal immigrants to sue sanctuary communities.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted April 16 and 19, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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