Strong majority of US voters support Refugee Resettlement

Strong majority of US voters support Refugee Resettlement

New polling data from the Refugee Advocacy Lab, Refugees International, and Data for Progress finds that more than two-thirds of voters believe that the United States should have a refugee resettlement program that helps bring people seeking safety to U.S. communities. This includes 79 percent support among Democrats, 68 percent among Independents, and 59 percent among Republicans.

This data comes as the Trump administration is expected to announce the smallest ever refugee resettlement program for the coming fiscal year, aiming to welcome just 7,500 people. “This policy change is completely out of step with what Americans want,” said Kate Brick, Executive Director of the Refugee Advocacy Lab. “The American public has not turned its back on people seeking safety – Washington has.” 

The new poll also revealed the deep unpopularity of several other immigration policy changes enacted by this administration that have undermined access to protection for people seeking safety in the United States and abroad, including:

• More than two-thirds of likely voters believe that the U.S. should consider granting asylum to women and girls fleeing gender-based violence.

• A strong majority of likely voters – 65 percent – oppose the deportation of immigrants to countries where they have never lived and their safety is not guaranteed.

• A majority of likely voters oppose deporting people who entered the United States legally on humanitarian status.

• A majority of likely voters oppose U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arresting immigrants in “protected areas” such as schools, churches, and hospitals.

• A majority of voters oppose the United States withdrawing from the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. – Refugees International