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More than half of Republican voters say they support the Trump administration’s policy of separating children and parents when families illegally cross the border into the U.S., according to a new poll.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Monday found 55% of Republican voters support the separation policy, while 35% express opposition.
At the same time, American voters overall oppose the policy, with 66% against it and just 27% for it, the poll found.
President Donald Trump has come under fire for the policy from Democrats, and former first lady Laura Bush and Trump’s wife, Melania, have expressed personal distaste for it, with Michelle Obama applauding on Twitter her fellow former first lady’s Washington Post op-ed. Trump, meanwhile, has doubled down, tweeting Monday that “children are being used by some of the worst criminals on earth as a means to enter our country.”
Trump is set to meet with lawmakers Tuesday ahead of a pair of House immigration votes that are tentatively scheduled for this week. A compromise immigration bill includes legal status for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and money for Trump’s border wall.
Senate Democrats have proposed legislation that prohibits separating parents and children. All 49 members of the Senate Democratic caucus back the legislation, led by Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California.
Quinnipiac surveyed 905 voters nationwide from June 14 to 17. The margin of error for the poll was plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
Robert Schroeder is the White House reporter for MarketWatch. Follow him on Twitter @mktwrobs.
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