Poll: Californians Shifting on Immigration Policy
By
Ben Adler
Friday, February 22, 2013
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Nearly all California voters say the state’s undocumented immigrants should be able to stay and become citizens – if they meet several conditions, according to a new Field Poll on immigration policy.
It's hard to find any controversial subject that 90 percent of Californians agree on. But that's the percent of registered voters who say the state's undocumented immigrants should have a path to citizenship if they meet three conditions: get a job, learn English and pay back taxes. Roughly three out of four voters also support creating temporary worker programs and increasing the number of visas for immigrants with advanced degrees like engineering.
But Californians still back stiff penalties on people and companies who hire undocumented immigrants and an increase in the number of federal border patrol agents.
Finally, the Field Poll shows a shift on the question of
whether undocumented immigrants should be able to obtain drivers
licenses. For the first time, a majority says yes - 52
percent to 43 percent. Five months ago, just 40 percent said
yes