Iowa poll: Nearly half want illegal immigrants deported

Nearly half of Iowa’s Republican caucus-goers want the nation’s illegal immigrants deported, according to a new poll.

{mosads}The Des Moines Register sampling released on Wednesday found that 47 percent support ousting the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants and returning them to their native countries.

Pollsters found that number grows when surveying GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s supporters. Nearly three-fourths — 73 percent — of that demographic support deporting illegal immigrants.

Wednesday’s poll also found that 40 percent of those supporting the rest of the GOP’s 2016 presidential field additionally back that policy.

Only 45 percent, the new survey noted, believe that deporting illegal immigrants is a poor decision.

The newspaper’s latest sampling found support for deporting illegal immigrants comes across a wide variety of demographics.

Sixty-three percent of Tea Party supporters favor that decision, as do very conservative caucus-goers. Those without college degrees, meanwhile, back that move 59 percent of the time.

Some segments of the Iowa’s GOP voters were skeptical of sweeping deportation, however. Fifty-one percent of business-oriented Republicans and 58 percent of moderates think the measure is a poor idea.

Wednesday’s sampling comes as Trump leads the race for the GOP’s 2016 presidential nomination across multiple national polls.

He is jockeying with retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson for their party’s coronation in the Hawkeye State, according to several Iowa samplings.

Trump has made illegal immigration a central talking point of his campaign, supporting tighter border security and calling for an end to birthright citizenship and sanctuary city policies.