Almost 50 percent of people in California support the travel ban from certain countries implemented by President Donald Trump in addition to the deportation of undocumented immigrants. The results of a new poll cast doubt on the conventional wisdom that Golden State residents disagree with the hard line on immigration that has been taken by Trump’s administration.
The Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at UC Berkeley released the survey results on Wednesday, showing that although the people of the only sanctuary state in the US value inclusion and diversity on immigration reform and racial and economic justice, their opinions on culture, politics, and race may be more complicated.
According to Olivia Araiza, the director of the Blueprint for Belonging project at the Haas Institute, which commissioned the survey, the progressive movement in California has matured and expanded but the state still sees ‘problematic’ social justice issues and high inequality levels.
24 percent of those surveyed believe it was important for the US to deport more undocumented immigrants, with another 35 percent believing it to be ‘somewhat important’. 49 percent of Californian respondents also support the temporary banning of people from certain countries, with 44 percent from the Bay Area in agreement with the ban, which was the lowest level of support in the state. But, 71 percent believe in establishing a path to US citizenship for immigrants, a figure that increases to 79 percent in regards to Dreamers.