A new poll shows that Latinos overwhelmingly support President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration — but the numbers are not as clear cut as the White House would hope.
The
Gallup poll says that Latinos back Obama’s plan by 64 percent to 28 percent, compared to Americans overall, who disapprove of the measure by 51 percent while 41 support it.
But
The Washington Post pointed out that the results are “misleading” because Obama’s order is only exceedingly popular among one single group of Hispanics — Hispanic immigrants.
Latino immigrants approve of the president’s action by 75 percent to 17 percent, while Hispanics born in the United States are "relatively evenly split" on the measure, 51 percent who are in favor and 42 percent who disapprove, the Post reports.
"It's hardly a resounding stamp of approval for the executive action from non-immigrant Hispanics," wrote the Post’s Aaron Blake in The Fix, the political commentary section.
"And that matters, electorally speaking. That's because Hispanics who are born in this country are much more likely to be Hispanic voters."
While foreign-born Hispanics are half of all Hispanic adults, they are only about 24 percent of eligible Hispanic voters. They were about 27 percent of Hispanic voters in 2012, the Post reported, citing a Pew survey.
"In other words, if you look just at Hispanics who are most likely to vote in the 2016 presidential election, Gallup's numbers suggest they aren't as supportive of the executive action as the main poll numbers suggest," Blake said.
"Hispanics do indeed support the executive action, and in large numbers, but not all Hispanics are the same, and many of this action's strongest supporters cannot vote in 2016."
Obama’s executive action circumventing Congress gives amnesty to millions of immigrants living illegally in the U.S. who have children who are legal American citizens or resident aliens.
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