Republicans tend to say it is more important to overturn President Obama's executive action on immigration than to avoid a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security is set to expire at midnight this Friday. While 'essential' workers such as border guards will stay at work many other workers who provide support for frontline staff will be temporarily laid off. The shutdown comes as House Republicans clash with the Obama administration over an executive order that suspended the deportation of many illegal immigrants. The House has passed a bill to continue funding for the Department of Homeland Security but the Republicans in the House attached amendments which would effectively overturn the executive order suspending deportations. If a compromise cannot be reached, the Department of Homeland Security will shut down.

YouGov's latest research shows that 47% of Republicans say that it's more important to overturn President Obama's executive order on deportation than it is to avoid a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. 35% of Republicans say that it's more important to keep the DHS open than it is to overturn the order. Among Democrats opinion is more evenly split. 37% of Democrats think it's more important to keep the DHS open than it is to maintain the order, while 30% say it's more important to maintain Obama's deportation order than it is to keep the DHS functioning normally.

null

The executive order suspending deportation proceedings against certain illegal immigrants, notably parents of US citizens, has split public opinion. Narrowly, Americans tend to oppose (43%) rather than support (36%) the executive order sparing parents of US citizens from deportation.

Despite the unpopularity of this particular order, however, Americans do tend to support offering illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. 46% say that, if they pay fines, have jobs and pass background checks, illegal immigrants should be able to begin a process which would eventually allow them to become American citizens. 33% oppose a path to citizenship. Independents are evenly split on the issue, with 40% in favor and 37% opposed, but Democrats (70%) are strongly in favor of a path to citizenship. Half of Republicans (49%) oppose it.

null

This level of support is largely unchanged since the question was first asked in June 2013, though at 49% Republican opposition is the lowest it has ever been, having previously stood at 60% in November 2014.

Full poll results can be found here and topline results and margin of error here.