Young voters from newer immigrant families lean more liberal

WASHINGTON -- Young Hispanic and Asian-Americans who are immigrants or have an immigrant parent are more likely to be liberal in their views on politics and immigration than those with families who have been in United States longer, a new GenForward poll shows.

Eighty-seven percent of those age 18 to 30 who are immigrants or who have parents who are immigrants support allowing those who were brought to the United States illegally as children to stay legally, while 72 percent of those whose families have been in the U.S. longer agree.

Eighty-five percent of first- and second-generation Latino and Asian immigrants and 74 percent of those who are third-generation or greater oppose building a border wall.

"Having some sort of program that allows the illegal citizens to become legal citizens, I think it gives the viewpoint that the U.S. cares," said Juan Tavares, a 24-year-old from California whose parents were born in Mexico. "You're going to have people who are illegal who will prove that they're loyal or they care about what this country has given to them, and they would like a chance to give back."

Still, Tavares, a U.S. citizen, said the United States could do more to secure its border with Mexico, including by building a wall in parts of California and Texas.

"Just because I'm Mexican, it doesn't mean I believe in an open border," he said.

GenForward is a 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.

The first-of-its-kind poll pays special attention to the voices of young adults of color, highlighting how race and ethnicity shape the opinions of a new generation.

Only a minority of young Hispanics and Asian-Americans in the poll -- 27 percent and 9 percent, respectively -- said both of their parents were born in the United States.