Four in five Americans support a right to residency for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children, a new poll by ABC News and the Washington Post showed Monday.
The data, which indicates 86 percent of respondents across the political spectrum back the policy, comes just weeks after President Donald Trump’s administration rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
The Obama-era mandate provided two-year, renewable relief measures from deportation for some undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children, and allowed them to work legally. DACA fell short of allowing a path to citizenship, leaving the approximately 800,000 recipients from 2012-2017 in a semi-legal status.
Monday’s poll also showed that two-thirds of Americans want a DACA-like deal paired with increased funding for border control.
The results echo data released last week that determined 77 percent of voters and 65 percent of Republicans say they favor work permits and a path to citizenship for the DACA population.
Trump has framed his decision to end the policy as a push for Congress to pass similar legislation.
DACA was created through a 2012 Homeland Security memo and heartily supported by then-President Barack Obama after lawmakers failed to push comprehensive immigration reform through Congress. Hundreds of thousands of recipients will return to a fully undocumented status and be subject to deportation when their current DACA status approvals expire in the coming two years.
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