One of the hottest topics in a very heated election cycle is immigration. Candidates like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz loudly proclaim their desire to seal off or build a wall between the US and Mexico. But Millennials aren’t persuaded by this line of talk, as most of them demonstrate a positive viewpoint on the benefits of immigration—and a majority even support amnesty.
Belief in the Benefits of Immigration
Though older generations tend to have a more cynical view of illegal immigration, 81% of Millennials believe that illegal immigrants should have a pathway to citizenship, an approach that is generally referred to as amnesty. This is in line with their general support of the majority of Barack Obama’s policies. Millennials also believe in the Constitution’s principle of citizenship for all American-born children, as well as supporting in-state college tuition for all qualified children of undocumented immigrants.
When it comes to legal immigration, the generational split is similar, even among those with a more conservative viewpoint. While older generations are inclined to say that the weight of immigration is a burden on the country, conservative Millennials believe that immigrants strengthen the United States economy with their hard work and talents. Considering that only 31% of Millennials lean Republican—and even Republican Millennials are softer on immigration than older Republicans—this paints a pretty clear picture of how Millennials view the immigration issue.
Millennials are Diverse
Part of this may be because Millennials are the most racially diverse generation in US history. As a result, Millennials are more likely to regularly intermingle with people of vastly different racial and/or cultural backgrounds, are completely accepting of interracial marriages and dating, and generally side toward liberal social values.
Almost half of the Millennial generation is non-white, the largest amount of any generation so far, largely due to the influx of Latino and Asian immigrants from the last century. The children of these immigrants are now important parts of the voting bloc, and considering their background, highly likely to view immigration in a positive light.
Donald Trump’s Political Rhetoric Does Not Appeal to Them
Though he’s now the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, Millennials are not fans of Donald Trump, who is currently the leading figure in the anti-illegal immigration movement. Though Trump has a tendency to flip flop on the immigration issue (as he employed undocumented immigrants for the demolition work preceding the construction of Trump Tower), he’s loud and combative when it comes to immigration, and Millennials are not having it. In fact, Trump’s extreme approach to the topic of illegal immigration is turning them away from the GOP altogether.
Though Trump claims that illegal immigration costs the United States $200 billion a year, this figure has been demonstrated false. Contrary to popular opinion, the existence of undocumented immigrants in the United States actually helps social security—they’ve already paid $1 billion into it—and therefore is a boon to the economy, at least economically. While the debate regarding what we should or shouldn’t do about the border is still a long one, Trump’s figures are not accurate.
These untrue claims, combined with Trump’s recent controversies involving racist figures like David Duke of the Ku Klux Klan, have done little to bring Millennials to the anti-immigration side of the debate.
The Bottom Line
The truth is, Millennials aren’t afraid in the idea that an influx of illegal immigrants are going to sweep in and take over the country: their views on this issue are highly liberal, and they’re far more likely to fight for amnesty than to fight against it.
A large part of this is that with so many Millennials being the children of immigrants—both documented and undocumented—this issue is more than a political battle, it’s a personal one that impacts their families. While there is still room to debate what approach should be taken to immigration reform, or what Millennials will get behind, what is clear is that the hardline approach of some politicians will not garner Millennial support.
The G Brief is the digital magazine published by Urbaneer Creative. We’re a boutique consultancy focused on helping clients better understand and engage the Millennial generation. Reach out to see what we can do for you.