LOS ANGELES/BERKLEY, CA—Earlier last week, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), along with the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley (OBI), released a survey showing California residents view immigrants as “central to the definition of the nation’s character.”
The 2024 California Survey was conducted from July 10 to Aug. 4, and included a random sample of 2,258 California residents.
The study found, among California’s residents, many agreed immigrants are central to the definition of the nation’s character and immigrants’ fundamental rights must be defended regardless of their migratory status.
The survey asked respondents whether they continued to agree with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe (1982), where, in the 5 to 4 decision, majority writer, Justice William J. Brennan Jr., reasoned that regardless of migratory status, immigrants remain people “in any ordinary sense of the term.”
And, added Brennan, they are protected under the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, which states “nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of the law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction that equal protection of the laws.”
The 2024 California Survey found that 80 percent of respondents agree with the Court’s decision, including two in three respondents (roughly 65 percent) who say they “strongly” agree, CHIRLA and OBI found.
Olivia Araiza, an OBI member, comments, “Thirty years ago, Californians voted to take away this right to public education for undocumented students…So it is very significant to see that today Californians stand more united in supporting the right of all students to public education, in even larger numbers than when the state tried to take that right away.”
Araiza added, “What we see in these results is that Californians wish for an immigration system that works – for immigrants, for the state, and the nation. They want rights that people can count on, and an orderly system that works in the way it’s meant to work. We have not had that for a long time.”
Across-the-board, the survey indicated the idea of the United States being “a nation of immigrants” in hand “makes the United States special.” When prompted with how much respondents resonated with this idea, 66 percent said “a great deal,” and only nine percent responded with “not too much” or “not at all.”
Noted by OBI and CHIRLA, this percentage remained higher than individuals who “identify a great deal with the U.S. status as a ‘global military power’ (46 percent), and…the idea of the U.S. ‘ being a Christian nation’ (21 percent).”
Among survey questions, respondents were asked about immigration policy issues, including whether they would support “an expansion of ‘public programs and legal aid to support immigrants affected by workplace abuse and labor violations.’”
Sixty-nine percent of respondents agreed they would support the proposal. Additionally, when asked whether they would support “establishing a way for all immigrants who are in the country without documentation to stay here,” Californians remained 50 percent supportive.
Nonetheless, 3 in 5 Californians agreed with accepting migrants and refugees as “the right thing to do as a wealthy and prosperous nation,” and 55 percent believed it is a “moral duty according to my faith or beliefs,” according to OBI and CHIRLA’s report.
CHIRLA Executive Director Angelica Sala, said, “What we see in these results is that Californians wish for an immigration system that works – for immigrants, for the state, and for the nation. They want rights that people can count on, and an orderly system that works in the way it’s meant to work. We have not had that for a long time.”
Sala added, “We also hear loud and clear that Californians want all workers, including immigrant workers, to be treated fairly, and their rights in the workplace protected. Permanent legal status with a path to citizenship will protect these workers and transform our immigration system into one that works for all Californians.”
When respondents were asked in the survey how they associate with migrants, 71 percent agreed that migrants are “making sacrifices for a better life for their families” when immigrating to the U.S. and 67 percent that they associate migrants with “suffering terrible journeys to travel to [the] U.S.”
Notably, 12 percent of California residents who identified as Democrats, and 64 percent of California residents who identified as Republicans, associated arriving immigrants with committing crimes in the U.S.
Ultimately, the survey highlights California’s consensus around immigration policies, as well as state and personal responsibility towards migrants. Political rhetoric is widespread throughout the U.S., but California remains generally positive toward immigrants based on this 2024 California survey.
Further background on the logistics of the 2024 California Survey on Othering and Belonging are mentioned below.
