The Immigration Debate Has Swung Drastically In The Past 18 Months
The poll found that 51 percent of respondents said illegal immigrants currently in the U.S. should be allowed to stay. Another 20 percent think they should be allowed to stay as guest workers. Twenty-four percent think they should leave the country.
The poll also gives a glimpse into how the debate over illegal immigration has swung in just the past year and a half. In a CBS poll taken in November 2011, only 37 percent of Americans said they thought illegal immigrants should be able to stay and apply for citizenship. Meanwhile, 38 percent said they should leave the country.
That question has swung 28 points in the past 17 months.
A majority of Democrats (by a 66-13 split) and Independents (by a 47-27 split) agree that illegal immigrants should be able to stay in the country, rather than be deported. A slim majority of Republicans (36 percent) believe that immigrants should be forced to leave rather than allowed to stay (35 percent).
On Monday, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced the framework of legislation that would overhaul the nation's immigration system. It would include a path to citizenship for immigrants if certain border-security conditions are met.
The bipartisan group of Senators includes Republicans John McCain (R-Ariz.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), and, notably, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). The Democrats are Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).