Poll: Majority oppose deporting DACA recipients

Carrie Healey
Updated ·2 min read

President Trump rescinded on Tuesday an Obama-era policy that protects immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. as children -- but a new poll finds that most Americans disagree with Trump's decision.

According to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult survey, a majority of Americans think that immigrants who benefit from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), often called Dreamers, should not be forced to leave the country.

Fifty-eight percent of respondents think recipients of DACA should be allowed to stay and become citizens if they meet certain requirements, while just 15 percent said they should be deported from the U.S. Eighteen percent of those surveyed said DACA recipients should be allowed to stay and become legal citizens.

Protesters who support DACA:

A similar pattern was found among Trump's own base. The poll found that two-thirds of Trump voters think Dreamers should be allowed to stay, while 26 percent feel they should be forced to leave.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the announcement earlier this week that the DACA program would come to an end in March, leaving the legislation's fate in the hands of Congress. The program protects 800,000 young people, and Trump's decision sent their futures spiraling into uncertainty. DACA provided work permits and protected Dreamers from deportation.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle and major American business leaders have spoken out against the president's decision. GOP Sen. John McCain criticized the move, saying it is "the wrong approach to immigration policy."

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement on Tuesday, "The decision to end DACA is not just wrong. It is particularly cruel to offer young people the American Dream, encourage them to come out of the shadows and trust our government, and then punish them for it."