WASHINGTON — Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander adults are more likely than the entire U.S. population to believe that legal immigrants are an asset to the nation’s economy and workforce, according to a new poll. .
But their views are similar to those of Americans overall when it comes to the risks posed by illegal immigration.
About 8 in 10 AAPI adults say legal immigration to the United States is a “great benefit” that contributes to economic growth, according to a survey released Monday by AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. are. Meanwhile, about 4 in 10 Americans overall feel the same way, although an AP-NORC poll conducted in March found that about three-quarters of AAPI voters feel the same way about science and technology. In March, about 4 in 10 Americans said that skilled expertise in the field is a big advantage of legal immigration.
The poll results come as former President Donald Trump continues to focus on the threat of immigration in his presidential campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris, with less than a month until Election Day. The same Republican recently falsely claimed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has no money to help survivors of Hurricane Helen because the money is being spent on programs for illegal immigrants. During last month’s presidential debate, President Trump amplified a false rumor that Haitians living legally in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people’s pets. The claims, which have been debunked, led to bomb threats against schools and government buildings, and cited the United States’ long history of denigrating immigrant communities through food.
Aldrin Villahermosa II, 25, a registered independent living in Tacoma, Washington, was “furious and angry” to hear that President Trump targeted Haitians in such a way.
“Immigrants are always targeted for the non-traditional foods they eat, but now targeting them for livestock brings a whole new level of depravity to all these claims,” Villahermosa said. said.
He also disputes claims that immigrants living in the U.S. illegally are not contributing or that they are taking jobs away from Americans.
“One of my really good friends from college is an illegal immigrant. He is currently a public school teacher, which doesn’t pay well, but it’s a job that affects future generations,” Villahermosa said. spoke. “He plays an important role in the U.S. economy, and he has a job that many people shy away from these days because it pays poorly and is often unsatisfying.”
However, many AAPI adults have very different views on illegal immigration. Only about 4 in 10 AAPI adults say immigrants who enter the country without legal authorization contribute to economic growth, similar to the proportion of adults in general who say the same. Similarly, about one-third of AAPI adults believe that undocumented immigrants provide skilled labor expertise, a view on par with Americans overall.
Just under half of AAPI adults say increasing security at the U.S.-Mexico border should be a “top priority” for the federal government. About the same percentage say waiting times for green cards or permanent legal status should be shortened and applications should be prioritized.
“What this shows us is that Asian Americans and AAPIs want solutions both at the border and across all legal immigration pathways,” said AAPI Data founder and executive director. said Karthik Ramakrishnan.
Many members of Asian American groups, especially Chinese, East Indians, and Filipinos, often have to wait years to sponsor family members or bring in workers on special visas. He added that he is passionate about the U.S. immigration system.
Guan Hsu, 45, of Freeport, New York, came to the United States legally from Taiwan as a child and became a naturalized citizen in 1999. He wants to see other immigrants live up to the norms as his family did.
“I’m not saying all illegal immigrants are taking shortcuts and cheating, but we’re saying everyone has to follow the rules,” Republican Sue said. Only,” he said. Where does the problem begin? ”
He also believes that immigrants who are not in the country legally pose a significant risk of overloading welfare and safety net programs and increasing crime in large cities. About half of AAPI adults and Americans overall say this about such programs, and about 4 in 10 say there is a “significant risk” that immigrants living in the country without legal permission will commit crimes. Although research shows that immigrants are no less dangerous, they are more likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born people.
But when it comes to legal immigration, AAPI adults who support a political party are far more likely to see greater economic benefits than Democrats or Republicans overall. About 9 in 10 AAPI Democrats say legal immigration is a “huge” benefit in contributing to economic growth, compared to about 6 in 10 Democrats overall. Similarly, about two-thirds of Republican AAPI adults believe legal immigration is a major benefit to economic growth, compared to 3 in 10 Republicans overall.
Sophia Cole, 38, of St. Louis, Missouri, is a Republican and plans to vote for Trump. She agrees that legal immigrants tend to be very hardworking.
“That’s what I saw growing up: how hard immigrant communities worked and how they helped build our foundational cities from the East Coast to the West Coast.” Cole says. “The work ethic, the drive to be American. They really capture the American Dream more than Americans themselves.”
Among the AAPI population, Ms. Harris has a slight advantage over Mr. Trump when it comes to who should be trusted more to deal with immigration issues. But some of that may be due to the fact that just over half of the poll’s respondents identify as Democrats.
But Su believes Trump will do better on immigration. He accused Harris and the Biden administration of not being “honest” and of not prioritizing illegal immigration until earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Villahermosa blames Congress’ lack of action. “I feel like it’s going to depend a lot on the will of Congress in terms of spending and appropriations and allowing specific resources to be allocated to address the immigration issue as a whole,” Villahermosa said.
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Tang reported from Phoenix.
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The poll of 1,123 U.S. adults of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander descent was drawn from NORC’s probability-based Amplify AAPI panel, which is designed to be representative of Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians. The survey was conducted from September 3 to 9, 2024, using samples obtained from , Pacific Island population. Online and telephone interviews were conducted in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Korean. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.7 percentage points.