Washington, D.C. — Results from a nationwide survey released today reveal broad support among military veterans for immigration-reform legislation. The nationwide poll, commissioned by the Center for American Progress Action Fund and VoteVets.org, surveyed 804 registered voters who are veterans of the military.
Ninety-five percent of veterans believe it is important for national leaders in Washington, D.C., to address the issue of immigration reform—50 percent say extremely important, 30 percent say very important, and 15 percent say somewhat important.
When asked if they would support or oppose a program for undocumented immigrants already living in the United States to earn citizenship by meeting certain requirements over an extended period of time, 64 percent of veterans indicated support for such a measure, with 27 percent of respondents voicing strong support.
“America’s veterans agree with the American people — the time has come for immigration reform with a path to citizenship,” said Angela Maria Kelley, Vice President of Immigration Policy at the Center for American Progress. “The men and women who literally risk their lives to protect the lives and freedoms of all of us in the United States recognize the importance and value in bringing the 11 million immigrants without papers out of the shadows so that they can legally contribute to the American Dream — the dream so many have fought to protect and died to defend.”
“Those of us who served know that our military depends on recruiting the best and most qualified among us, and that often includes those who may not have been born here,” said Jon Soltz, Iraq war veteran and chairman of VoteVets.org. “To have so many people living in the shadows, who so often want to serve our nation in uniform, but can’t, hurts our military and our security. It is no surprise, then, that those who served see the benefit to America’s military, when it comes to providing a path to legal residence and citizenship for those who don’t have it.”
The poll was conducted online by Global Strategy Group from April 2–4, 2013. The margin of error associated with the sample of 804 registered voters is 3.5 percent at the 95 percent confidence interval.
To speak with an expert on this issue or for additional polling information, please contact Crystal Patterson at [email protected] or 202.478.6350.