Washington, D.C. — With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to soon decide whether to permit the Trump administration to terminate Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections, registered voters from the left, right, and center continue to overwhelmingly support DACA. Across the board, they want President Donald Trump to maintain the status quo and temporarily continue DACA even if the Supreme Court gives him permission to end the initiative. They also want Congress to immediately enact permanent protections for DACA recipients rather than let protections end. These are the main results of a poll by the Center for American Progress Action Fund released today.
The survey of 1,004 registered voters was conducted nationwide between April 10–17, 2020, by Hart Research Associates and CAP Action amid the coronavirus crisis. The fact that 29,000 DACA recipients are health care workers stepping up to help keep the country safe during the pandemic, and more than 200,000 are essential workers risking their lives, adds important arguments in favor of keeping the initiative. A large majority of those polled find these to be “extremely” or “very” convincing reasons to keep the initiative in place.
Key findings also include:
- Voters support DACA by 70 percent to 21 percent, including large majorities of Democrats, independents and Republicans. DACA is supported by 82 percent of Democrats, 60 percent of independents, and 61 percent of Republicans.
- Even if the Supreme Court finds that the president has the authority to terminate DACA, 72 percent of voters say Trump should temporarily continue the initiative until Congress can find a permanent solution for DACA recipients. Majorities of both Joe Biden supporters (85 percent) and Trump supporters (56 percent) say Trump should continue DACA, even if the court rules in the president’s favor.
- In a solid 65 percent to 35 percent, registered voters also think Congress should immediately pass legislation to grant permanent protections to DACA recipients if the Supreme Court rules in favor of the Trump administration. Large majorities of both Democrats (82 percent) and independents (70 percent) want Congress to immediately pass legislation toward protecting DACA recipients. Forty-two percent of Republican voters support such action.
- A 71 percent majority of voters support extending work permits for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and 62 percent support extending current work permits for DACA. DACA is supported by 82 percent of Democrats, 60 percent of independents, and 61 percent of Republicans.
“The data are clear: Registered voters across the political spectrum recognize the contributions that DACA recipients are making—especially as they work on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus—and want to see their protections extended,” says Tom Jawetz, vice president of Immigration Policy at CAP Action. “No matter what the Supreme Court rules, the American public strongly wants DACA recipients to be able to remain here permanently, and the president will act at his own peril if he moves ahead with plans to deport Dreamers. Following the strong bipartisan vote in the House, the Senate should now pass H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, to put immigrant youth and those with TPS on a pathway to citizenship, which is what the vast majority of American voters want.”
“The COVID-19 crisis has done nothing to diminish voters’ strong support for DACA protections, and in fact have provided compelling new examples of why it is essential to make sure Dreamers are able to continue contributing to our country,” says Geoffrey Garin, president at Hart Research Associates. “The marching orders from voters to both President Trump and Congress are clear: Regardless of what the Supreme Court decides, we must keep DACA protections in place.”
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For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Claudia Montecinos at [email protected].