Poll: Half say Obama immigration actions ‘about right’

Half of the public says President Obama’s new actions to defer deportations are “about right,” compared to only a quarter who say they go “too far,” according to a CNN/ORC poll.

{mosads}The question describes Obama’s action, announced last week, to remove the threat of deportation from some people in the country illegally and allow them to apply for a work permit. Fifty percent say this plan is “about right,” 26 percent say it goes “too far,” and 22 percent say it goes “not far enough.”

Obama’s actions have met strong resistance from Republicans, who are mapping out strategies to fight the executive order, possibly including a lawsuit or trying to defund the programs through the appropriations process.

When respondents are simply asked if they favor or oppose the policy that Obama announced on immigration, without the policy being described, the results are less favorable to the White House. Forty-six percent are opposed and 42 percent are in favor. 

That Obama is acting on his own, without Congress, is also unpopular. Fifty-six percent oppose the president using executive action to implement the policies, while 41 percent are in favor.

Obama argues he would prefer to sign legislation from Congress, but GOP lawmakers in the House have refused to move forward, so he is forced to act alone.

The public is almost evenly split on whether Obama has the legal authority to act on his own, with 49 percent saying he does, and 48 percent saying he does not. 

Despite these objections to the actions among some, the public is opposed to one of the main actions Republicans are contemplating to fight back.

Sixty percent say House Republicans should not file a lawsuit against the actions, while 38 percent say they should. Seventy-six percent say Republicans in Congress should spend more time trying to pass an immigration reform bill rather than overturn Obama’s actions.