Controlling What You Can is our new series dedicated to asking YOU what matters most on the major policy topics that face the nation. This post is a recap of a poll we put out on 3/28/2025. If you want to join the conversation, keep an eye on your inbox and check us out on X – we ask a new question every week. Want to join the conversation? Sign up here and follow us on X.
We asked you all two big questions about our immigration policy. The first was a general overview question of “how satisfied are you the current immigration system?”
You were staunchly of the opinion that our immigration policy needs a major overhaul (by the way, if you want to add your thoughts to this slider, or leave a comment on the page, you can do so here).
After that, we dug into more detail – we asked you “Immigration issues are critical to solve for the health of our nation. We want to know what YOU think. What is the MOST important issue for any future immigration policy to focus on?”
The overwhelming majority of Forwardists are at least somewhat dissatisfied with how the US is handling immigration issues. On possible policy solutions, though, there was support for most every option, with none rising to earn the support of the majority.
A better functioning pathway to citizenship was the most common solution selected as the most important issue to focus on first, but stronger enforcement and the growth of legal immigration across the board also had healthy support.
When we pressed for details about what you would fix, here are the thoughts you left with us:
- Fair Pathways to Citizenship
- You all called for a clearer and more efficient path to citizenship for long-time undocumented residents that emphasized fairness and the need to support children who grew up here as undocumented immigrants (sometimes referred to as DREAMers).
- As one of you put it, “Those who have been in the country for years, with no criminal history, need a path to citizenship — especially minors.”
- Comprehensive Immigration Reform
- You called for updates to our outdated and inconsistent immigration laws. You asked for reform to reduce backlogs, secure legal entry points, and strengthen the overall process.
- You called for updates to our outdated and inconsistent immigration laws. You asked for reform to reduce backlogs, secure legal entry points, and strengthen the overall process.
- Border Security & Legal Pathways
- Most everyone who brought up our borders wanted them to be more secure, but that was usually balanced with a call for it to be paired with expanded legal immigration pathways. The broad consensus: Increase pathways for legal immigration while shutting off illegal immigration.
- One of you said, “We all want secure borders, but how we get there matters.”
- Humanitarian Concerns & Refugees
- Many of you were concerned about the pathway for asylum seekers and refugees coming under attack. You called for the alignment of immigration policies with American values of openness and compassion.