U.S. evangelicals tend to want secure borders but also want to welcome refugees and offer a pathway for certain unauthorized immigrants to attain legal status, a recent study found.
The study bolsters evidence of a lingering divide among conservatives over how to address illegal immigration, even as Republican lawmakers in Tennessee and beyond work to support President Donald Trump’s pledge to deport millions of people living in the U.S. without authorization.
Most evangelicals surveyed in the new study — conducted by Lifeway Research of Brentwood, Tennessee — said they would prioritize the deportation of people convicted of violent crimes or who pose a safety threat. But enthusiasm for prioritizing the deportation of other groups, including recent arrivals, quickly dropped off, the study found.
More than 3 in 4 surveyed said they would support legislation that both increases border security and establishes a process for those already in the U.S. to earn citizenship if they meet requirements like paying a fine and passing a criminal background check.
“The most striking thing is the stability in the answers,” said Scott McConnell, the executive director of Lifeway Research. “This is the fourth time that we’ve asked many of these questions in the last decade. And even with a lot of rhetoric going on in our culture — and through the political season different ideas being espoused — evangelicals are really very steady in their responses.”