A consistent and solid majority of Americans — 63 percent — crossing party and religious lines favors legislation to create a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living in the United States illegally, while only 14 percent support legal residency with no option for citizenship, according a report published Monday by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute.
So begins Julia Preston’s story in this morning’s New York Times. She writes:
Those surveyed expressed strong support for citizenship for 11.7 million immigrants in the country without documents just as Congress appears to be shifting away from that approach, with Republican leaders in the House working on measures that would offer legal status without a direct path to naturalization.
Sixty percent of Republicans, 57 percent of independents and 73 percent of Democrats favor a pathway to citizenship, according to the report. Majorities of Protestants, Catholics and Americans with no religious affiliation also support that plan.
Vice President Joe Biden visited on Friday with advocates for immigration reform who are staging a fast on the National Mall in an attempt to influence Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to bring the legislation to a vote in the House of Representatives.
Learn more about Fast for Families at its website and in this Religion News Service story.