DES MOINES, Iowa—Young Hispanics, Asian-Americans and African-Americans are much more likely to trust Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump to deal with immigrants living in the United States illegally. But young whites tend to trust Trump more on issues related to illegal immigration, including securing the border.
Among young people overall, 47 percent say they think Trump would better handle securing the border, 26 percent say Clinton would, and 18 percent say neither would.
That’s according to a new GenForward survey of adults age 18 to 30 by the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago with the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. There’s little division on which candidate would better handle immigrants in the country now without permission, with 39 percent choosing Clinton, 38 percent Trump and 14 percent neither.
But on all those questions there are significant divisions based on race and ethnicity.
Among young whites, more say that Trump would better handle securing the border than Clinton, by a 57 percent to 19 percent margin, while 49 percent say Trump would deal with immigrants who are currently living in the United States illegally, versus 31 percent for Clinton.
“We have issues from ISIS types, also we have a lot of illegal immigrants that are taking away from people and we allow them to take government money,” said Chase Anderson, 25, of Spokane, Washington, is white and thinks Trump would do better on border security. “We need to figure out our own stuff.”
Significantly more young Hispanics, African-Americans and Asian-Americans say Clinton than Trump would better handle dealing with immigrants who are already in the country illegally. Each of those groups is closely divided on which candidate would better handle securing the border.
Reese Toney, 24, of Glen Allen, Virginia, said he was from a mixed race background, noting that he had Hispanic, Italian and African-American roots and his grandfather was originally from Mexico. Toney said he has not decided who to support, but will not be voting for Trump. On border security he said, “I have to say Hillary would do a better job than Trump because Trump would just alienate and agitate the countries around us.”
Trump has made immigration—including his plans to build a border wall and deport people in the country illegally—a central issue of his unconventional presidential bid. Clinton would offer a path to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally and defend President Barack Obama’s executive orders that defer enforcement action against children.
The poll was conducted before Trump’s latest speech on immigration in Arizona this week, a fiery address that reaffirmed his campaign promise to build a wall along the 1,989-mile southern border and force Mexico to pay for it.
