SB1070 Update: SB1070, Path to Citizenship polling equally

by David Safier

An ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted this week found that 58% of Americans support SB1070, and 57% support a path to citizenship for immigrants.

You can interpret this result in lots of ways. I read it to say this: People are frustrated that our immigration laws are a mess and any move to control immigration is better than nothing, but they don't hate or fear illegal immigrants, and they don't want to send them home. They want those who are here  to be able to come out of the shadows, and they want firmer controls on others who want to enter the U.S.

Another interesting result from the poll is that the 57% who favor a path to citizenship is down from 61% in 2009. But that 61% figure was a spike in support. In the last 2 years of the Bush administration, the highest number was 52% in 2007.  That means that, during the Obama administration, there has been an overall increase in the numbers of people wanting illegal immigrants to have a path to citizenship.