Poll: Voters mixed over young immigrants

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Voters have mixed views about whether young people brought to the United States illegally by parents should be viewed as lawbreakers, Rasmussen Reports said.

A Rasmussen Reports survey released Monday indicated 43 percent of likely voters said young people brought to the country illegally by their parents should be considered as breaking the law while 44 percent disagreed. Thirteen percent of voters said they were undecided, results indicated.

Distinguishing between illegal immigrants and their children is at the core of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, or DREAM, Act that some in Congress hope to pass before the end of the lame duck session.

The bill would offer a chance at legal residency to illegal immigrants who arrived in the United States before age 16 if they earn a high school diploma. It also would grant residency to those who attend college for two years or enter the military.

When it comes to adults, however, voters' views were more pronounced, Rasmussen Reports said. Seventy-six percent said adults who enter the United States illegally should be considered lawbreakers while 12 percent disagreed.

Results are based on a national telephone survey of 1,000 likely voters conducted Thursday and Friday. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.