Six out of ten voters in the US agree with the ban on travelers from certain countries being allowed to enter the country unless they have a close relative already there. This is according to the results of a new opinion poll, released on Wednesday.
The results of the Politico-Morning Consult poll showed that the new guidelines from the State Department to deny US visas to people from six predominantly Muslim nations – Iran, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, and Somalia – is strongly supported by 37 percent of American voters. A further 23 percent also ‘somewhat’ support the guidelines. The poll, conducted online last Thursday and Friday, had 1989 registered voters participating, following last week’s Supreme Court decision to partly uphold the ban made via executive order by President Donald Trump.
The margin of error in the poll results was two percent. Respondents were asked whether they supported or opposed the new Stat Department guidelines, and did not mention Donald Trump or the executive orders he signed on the issue of immigration. The Supreme Court ruling on 26 June declared that the temporary travel ban could go ahead provided US visa applicants were exempt if they had a genuine relationship with an entity or person already in the country.
The partial ban came into effect on Thursday, with 83 percent of Republicans supporting the move and only 46 percent of Democrat voters opposing it. 41 percent of Democrats were also in favor, with 13 percent undecided.