A majority of New Yorkers support using federal properties as temporary migrant shelters, according to a Siena College Research Institute Poll.

By a 56%-36% margin, Siena poll respondents said they were in favor of the use of federally-owned land and buildings as shelters, and 59% said they were in favor of making it easier for migrants to get work authorizations.

Sixty percent said they were in favor of comprehensive immigration reform to make a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants in the U.S., with 50% saying they opposed of a border wall spanning the entirety of the southern border with Mexico.

"Over 40% of all New Yorkers believe that immigrants take more than they offer society," SCRI Director Don Levy said. "About a third believe current migrants are dangerous, perhaps even criminal, only want hand-outs and are a source of illegal drugs. But in each of these cases more New Yorkers disagree with, rather than hold, these judgments."

Other poll answers indicate:

• A majority of respondents, 61%, disagree that immigrants just want free government handouts;
• 48% disagree that immigrants take more than they give in terms of economic activity;
• 53% do not believe migrants are the source of illegal drugs in the U.S.

The poll was conducted from Sept. 5-8, polling 414 New Yorkers via phone and 386 more from "a proprietary online panel of New Yorkers." The results have a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percentage points. For more results, click here.