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Hispanics Divided On How To Process Border Children

About half of Hispanics support current policies regarding Central American border children, according to a Pew Research survey.
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Hispanics are almost evenly split when it comes to how the U.S. government should respond to the recent increase of children crossing into the U.S., according to a new Pew Research survey. Forty-nine percent of Latinos support the current policy, which allows children from non-contiguous countries (countries other than Mexico and Canada) to stay in the U.S. while they go through the immigration process and either get asylum or are deported. Comparatively, 47 percent of Hispanics are in favor of a sped-up process, though it may result in more deportations, even among those who may eventually be eligible for asylum. The divided opinion among Hispanics differs from the general public; 53 percent favor the expedited handling of undocumented children and 39 percent favor the current law.

Three in four Hispanics believe that congressional action on immigration is important, compared with 61 percent of the general population. On how President Obama is handling the border children's crisis, 46 percent of Hispanics disapprove and 34 percent approve. Among the general public, Americans disapprove by 56 percent to 28 percent.

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