New results from our weekend USA Today/Gallup poll provide the perfect complement to Monday'sWashington Post story shedding light on immigration questions raised by the difficult situation in Haiti. We asked Americans if, in response to the earthquake, they think the U.S. should or should not increase the number of immigrants it accepts from Haiti. The majority (53%) say no; 41% say yes. The political split finds 57% of Democrats in favor and 67% of Republicans opposed.
According to The Washington Post, the debate centers on Haitians with relatives residing legally in the U.S., as well as critically injured children. Our question does not ask about these particular conditions.
Certainly, such Haitians could benefit from medical care in the U.S., not to mention a better guarantee of food and shelter. But with Americans voicing a tougher stance on immigration last year and Obama's approval numbers highly polarized in his first year in office and this month teetering at or near record lows, such a move likely carries risk. The Washington Post says the "vast majority" of the nearly 300 comments it has received on its story have been negative responses to the suggestion of increased immigration from Haiti; our data suggest majority disapproval, but still with some minority support.
Our story on this also reveals that 73% of Americans think the U.S. is doing enough to help the victims in Haiti, though the question does not distinguish between public and private sector aid. When asked about the presence of U.S. troops and other government workers, 63% of Americans support keeping large numbers in place in Haiti "as long as it takes to ensure basic services are restored and life is more or less back to normal for the Haitian people."
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