As legislatures around the country argue every point and potential pitfall of topics like immigration reform, it’s important to bring such issues back down to the grassroots level to gain an accurate understanding of what the people want. After all, the state and federal legislation that may soon be passed to overhaul immigration policies are likely to affect most Americans on some level. A recent study conducted in Florida offers some compelling evidence about how residents feel about offering a path to citizenship to some immigrants already in the country.
Florida Republican Senator Robert Rubio has garnered quite a bit of state and national attention for introducing a bill to reform immigration. Among other stipulations, the proposed piece of legislation would strengthen border security and offer a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants currently living in the country. The U.S. House of Representatives is considering such measures too, adding credence to the plan.
State and federal legislatures are not the only ones weighing the pros and cons of making citizenship an option for undocumented immigrants. According to one survey, two thirds of participating Floridians agree that it’s a good idea. The Project New America and Florida New Majority groups found that most state residents support including path-to-citizenship opportunities in immigration reform.
And while some figures do show support exists for these types of immigration changes, some conservative representatives do not endorse anything of the sort. It is yet to be seen how Senator Rubio’s proposed bill will fare as it continues to be scrutinized. Though, it seems that the majority of Floridians are on board at least.
Source: fcir.org, “Poll Finds Floridians Support Path to Citizenship,” Ashley Lopez, May 10, 2013
