Illegal immigrants should stay, NC residents say – but only if they belong to these groups

North Carolinians think certain categories of people living in the country illegally should be allowed to stay, but they are more hesitant about those seeking sanctuary as a way to avoid arrest, according to a recent poll from High Point University.

Researchers from the university randomly polled 469 adult residents in North Carolina in November and asked them questions about President Donald Trump, voting and immigration.

One question asked respondents to answer yes or no if they believed “illegal immigrants who fall into these categories should be allowed to stay,” followed by the following groups:

• Those who are serving in the U.S. military: 83 percent said yes, 14 percent no
• Those who are working and paying taxes: 77 percent said yes, 20 percent no
• Those who are married to U.S. citizens or legal residents: 76 percent said yes, 18 percent no
• Those who have children who are U.S. citizens or legal residents: 73 percent said yes, 22 percent no
• Those who were brought here as children: 72 percent said yes, 22 percent said no

Just 35 percent of the respondents answered “yes” that local police or sheriffs should assist federal authorities in arresting immigrants who live in the U.S. illegally but have not committed other crimes. Sixty-two of respondents answered “no.”

Respondents were less sympathetic toward immigrants who have taken sanctuary in houses of worship to avoid deportation, with 42 percent saying those immigrants should be safe from arrest and 48 percent saying they should not be.

In North Carolina, four immigrants took sanctuary this year in houses of worship in Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro. Only one immigrant has been able to leave sanctuary after she received a delay in her deportation order.

President Donald Trump has advocated tighter border security and has made it more difficult for people from other nations to migrate to the U.S. or stay here.

Trump ordered an end to the Obama-era program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, putting pressure on Congress to pass legislation that would address the status of young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents. DACA recipients were able to legally work and drive, but some are eligible for deportation as early as March.

This year, the Department of Homeland Security terminated a special status for people from Honduras, Nicaragua and, most recently, Haiti who have migrated to the U.S. due to natural disasters or civil war. Previously, the federal government had repeatedly renewed their Temporary Protected Status. Now, many immigrants with that status must decide whether to stay in the U.S. illegally or return to countries that are still recovering from natural disasters.

Trump passed an executive order that punishes “sanctuary cities.” Federal money is withheld from local law enforcement agencies that choose not to act as an extension of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

Trump signed an executive order banning people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. The courts have blocked part of the order from taking effect. In the meantime, the federal government can prevent citizens of six countries – Syria, Libya, Iran, Yemen, Somalia and Chad – from entering the country if they don’t have family in the United States.

This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Illegal immigrants should stay, NC residents say – but only if they belong to these groups."