Jun 26, 2012 / 01:05 am
Most Americans have a respectful view of immigrants, and would support long-term measures to make legal residence possible, a Knights of Columbus-Marist poll has found.
"There is a consensus among the American people on the issue of immigration," Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said in a June 25 statement, announcing the findings of a survey conducted by the Catholic fraternal order in collaboration with the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.
"There is a real, viable, long-term solution to this problem that would transcend partisanship, have the support of the American people, and actually resolve this issue," observed Anderson, who thinks the survey "has potential to recast our national debate if this non-partisan solution is embraced."
The Knights of Columbus-Marist findings show that 74 percent of Americans would back legal residence for illegal immigrants, provided they paid a fine, learned English, and had a job that would pay taxes.