Over the past three election cycles, immigration has been at the forefront as one of the most critical wedge issues. This is unsurprising given that it goes straight to questions about America’s identity, laws and economy.

But those fights among political leaders and advocates have distracted from something that may surprise some: The American public actually has substantial agreement on what immigration reform should look like.

My colleagues and I at the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation (PPC) have been studying public opinion on immigration policy for years. Most recently, we have surveyed Americans nationally and in 11 states and 28 House districts with competitive races in November’s midterm elections. What we found challenges the conventional wisdom that Republicans and Democrats are far apart on how to address immigration.

On proposal after proposal – related to deportation, pathways to legal status, employment of undocumented immigrants, visas and asylum – clear majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agreed on what the government should be doing.

These proposals all come from congressional legislation that has been put forward, often repeatedly, over the past 15 years. But the last time Congress came close to enacting immigration reforms was in 2013, when the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” attempted to pass a comprehensive bill.

In the 13 years since, no systemic reform has come close to passing Congress.

Americans support legal status for some, and deportation for........

© USA TODAY