Poll: 58% Oppose Shutting Down Govt Over DACA Illegal Aliens

A majority of polled voters oppose shutting down the government over Democratic demands that a budget deal include provisions to shield from deportation immigrants who came to the country illegally as children, according to the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll.

When respondents were asked whether they "favor or oppose Democrats voting to shut the government down" if the funding measure does not restore work permits for those protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, 58 percent said they oppose a shutdown. 

Views on the issue fall generally along ideological lines, with 68 percent of Democrats in favor of a shutdown aimed at extending the DACA program, while 83 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of independents would oppose a shutdown driven by an immigration fight, according to the poll.

Those findings mirror a CNN survey released Friday that found 56 percent of polled voters believe that passing a budget to avoid a shutdown is more important than reaching an agreement on DACA.