CNN Poll: Majority Think Government’s Focus Should Be on Stopping Illegal Immigration and Deporting Illegal Aliens

A CNN/ORC International poll says a majority of those surveyed now think the government’s main focus in dealing with the issue of illegal immigration should be on stopping illegal immigration and deporting illegal aliens. The percentage of respondents supporting this position grew ten points since February, when 41 percent of those surveyed supported this stance.

Additionally, more than 60 percent of respondents answered that they would favor a bill that would make it easier for the U.S. to deport unaccompanied alien children. And while just 51 percent of those surveyed believe most of the unaccompanied alien children flooding the border are “refugees who are fleeing violence and poverty in their countries,” 57 percent of respondents indicated that they would be willing to have some of the children relocated to a security facility in their town while the illegal immigrant children await immigration proceedings.  

The federal government may act on the claim that most of the unaccompanied alien children fleeing Honduras are “refugees.” The Obama administration has begun consideration of a proposal to declare the Honduran children refugees before they enter the U.S., according to the New York Times. If the White House proceeds with the plan to screen thousands of children in Honduras to determine whether they could claim refugee status in the United States, the Times said it would be the first American refugee effort in “a nation reachable by land to the United States.” The administration has reportedly made no decision about the matter, and officials from the White House and Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, State, and Health and Human Services are considering this option as one among many. The presidents of Honduras and Guatemala are expected to meet with President Obama at the White House today.