Majority Support Legal Status for Undocumented Immigrants in US

A new survey carried out by the Pew Research Center found growing support among U.S. citizens for granting undocumented immigrants with legal status. 

The poll revealed that more than seven out of 10, or 72 percent of respondents believe illegal immigrants in the U.S. should be allowed to stay, if they meet certain conditions.

But the survey of 2,002 adults also found the number of respondents who see immigrants as a strain on housing, health care and the jobs market has increased 6 points, from 35 percent to 41 percent, over the past two years.

The data released Thursday comes one day after House republicans rallied behind a measure to prevent the Obama administration from further pursuing its legal defense of the president’s executive actions to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation.

President Obama announced last November that he would unilaterally halt the deportation of nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants.

Since then, Republican lawmakers have been desperately trying to block Obama's actions on immigration.

Last February, 26 states launched a lawsuit against the federal government, arguing that Obama's executive actions on immigration were unconstitutional.

A federal judge in Texas on Feb. 16 issued a temporary injunction blocking Obama's action halting the deportation of undocumented immigrants.

Meanwhile last week, a U.S. appeals court ruled against the Obama administration’s emergency request to lift the hold on the executive actions.

During a speech at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Democratic Congressperson from Illinois, Luis Gutierrez, issued a scathing criticism of Texas politicians and judges who are in charge of spearheading the lawsuit against Obama's executive action.

"The Republican leaders in Texas do not want you to be able to work on the books, pay your full share of local and national taxes, and pay for a drivers' license. Reality and Texas should get to know one another," he said.

Gutierrez went on to point out that the majority of U.S. citizens oppose deporting the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the country.