Poll: 71 Percent of US Voters Say Illegal Immigrants Shouldn’t Get Any Aid

Seventy-one percent of likely U.S. voters say illegal immigrants shouldn’t receive any type of aid, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll released Thursday, 29 April 2021 05:13 PM.

The survey comes as U.S. officials deal with a surge of immigrants crossing the border and states like New York take heat for including payments to thousands of workers living in the country without legal permission in its $212 billion budget deal. The fund can provide payments of $16,500 or $3,200 to eligible recipients, depending on the criteria. The figure is much higher than the $500 one-time cash benefit set aside by California in a similar program.

The Rasmussen poll, taken April 25-26 among 1,000 likely U.S. voters, also found:

• 28 percent say illegal immigrants should have the same legal rights and protections that U.S. citizens have, but most voters (60 percent) disagree. Eleven percent are undecided.

• 63 percent of voters believe the availability of government money and services draws illegal immigrants to the U.S., up from 59 percent two years ago. 24 percent disagree, while 12 percent are not sure.

• 58 percent of Democrats, 85 percent of Republicans and 69 percent of voters not affiliated with either party say individuals should be required to prove they are legally allowed to be in the U.S. before they receive aid.

• 81 percent of Republicans say illegal immigrants should not have the same legal rights and protections that U.S. citizens have, while 44 percent of Democrats believe they should have the same rights.

Another poll by Rasmussen released earlier this month on the border topic showed that 50 percent rate President Joe Biden’s handling of immigration issues as poor, compared with 14 percent who rate his efforts as excellent.

The president’s ratings on immigration issues are also far worse than former President Donald Trump’s – 34 percent of voters in July 2019 rated Trump as excellent on his handling of immigration and another 12 percent said he was doing a good job.

Republicans have criticized Democrats for their push to help illegal immigrants.

“Democrats are raising taxes and using your federal stimulus dollars to enact a radical agenda rather than helping veterans, small main street businesses, teachers and senior citizens,” Rob Ortt, the Republican minority leader in the State Senate, said in early April when New York Democrats approved the excluded worker’s fund.

Michael Gianaris, a Democrat and the deputy majority leader in the Senate, called the effort crucial.

“To deny excluded workers benefits after we relied on them to get us through this historically difficult year would be immoral and unjust,” he said.

By Solange Reyner