Pollster Latino Decisions, on behalf of the progressive think tank Center for American Progress Action Fund, has found that 49 percent of Latino voters would blame Republicans for failure to pass immigration reform, while only 16 percent would blame Democrats. The survey also shows that 68 percent of respondents disapprove of the way House Republicans have handled the issue thus far.
The co-founder of Latino Decisions, Matt Barreto, stated that the “Republican Party really stands to lose a lot of ground if they continue to appear as obstructionists.” The survey finds that 71 percent of Latino voters believed passing comprehensive immigration reform was “very or extremely important”.
The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan immigration reform bill in 2013, but it has since been stalled in the House. The study holds that if the bill remains stuck in the House, Republicans “will only further their image as anti-immigrant and anti-Latino.”
After the 2012 election, the Republican National Committee found that many Latino voters were alienated by the Party’s position on immigration reform. The RNC has since focused on Latino outreach in many states, although failure to pass comprehensive reform may negate these efforts.
Even though Republicans might be the ones blamed for failure to adopt reform, Barreto added “we continue to find that Republicans have an opportunity to repair their image among Latinos” if they demonstrate cooperation to pass much-needed reform. About 61 percent of those polled stated they would be more likely to listen to Republican voices if a reform bill were passed.
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