Faithful in Front
Some argue that evangelical leaders are out of step with their congregations on immigration. A recent poll of likely evangelical Republican voters released by NumbersUSA, which endorses lower immigration levels, found that 63 percent of respondents "strongly oppose" a bill described as giving "work permits to an estimated 7 million illegal immigrant workers." Pulse Opinion Research conducted the poll.
"They are the most opposed to the kind of thing the Senate is doing, and the most opposed to what these evangelical leaders are calling for," says NumbersUSA Executive Director Roy Beck. Conservatives say the Evangelical Immigration Table, an immigration advocacy coalition, is backed by the National Immigration Forum, which has gotten money from liberal philanthropist George Soros.