Religion not a factor in immigration views

The coalition of Christian leaders lobbying for immigration reform may be sad to hear that most Americans don't think religion has much to do with the issue.

A new Pew Research poll finds that while many Americans cite religion as the most important factor in their views on same-sex marriage (35 percent), the death penalty (19 percent), and abortion (26 percent), only 7 percent say the same for immigration.

The National Association of Evangelicals and the Southern Baptist Convention have both endorsed immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship, citing Scripture to back up their views.

Forty-two percent of Americans say they favor both increased border security and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country as keys to a revamped immigration policy.