Self-identified evangelical adults are taking a both/and approach when it comes to immigration. Respondents of a new Lifeway Research study say they want both secure borders and pathways for “certain” immigrants to be given legal status to live and work in the United States.
The evangelicals polled say they want “dangerous illegal immigrants” deported. They show less concern for immigrants who arrived in the country as children and now live quiet lives. Previous studies over the past four years show that evangelical points of view and priorities regarding immigration remain consistent.
The study also found this religious subgroup, which accounts for nearly a quarter of the U.S. population, shared four theological convictions. Self-identified evangelical adults are primarily Trump voters and politically conservative. Their views on immigration and corresponding political issues are both guided by their faith.
While they hold these political predilections, most evangelicals say they support refugees. Seventy percent of those polled say accepting refugees is the moral responsibility of the United States, including 34% who strongly agree. Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents disagree.
“A large majority of evangelicals do not want immigrants unlawfully in the country to be prioritized for deportation except if they have been convicted of violent crimes or pose a threat to national security,” Scott McConnell, the executive director at LifeWay Research, said. “Less than 1 in 6 evangelicals value deporting undocumented immigrants whose immediate family has legal status or who have been in the country for more than five years. These are their neighbors and families they don’t want to see divided.”
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Director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative, an associate editor, host of the Good Faith Media podcast, “The Raceless Gospel” and author of Take Me to the Water: The Raceless Gospel as Baptismal Pedagogy for a Desegregated Church.
