Most Americans support Barack Obama's efforts to allow certain undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States, even though, on a personal level, they do not seem to trust the president on the issue, a new poll revealed.

When asked generally about the plan to relax immigration rules for some undocumented migrants, 61 percent of Americans expressed support in the poll, which was conducted jointly by Reuters and Ipsos, the newswire revealed. But when Obama was named as the author of the policy, only 54 percent backed the effort.

The survey also revealed a clear split along party lines. Seventy-eight percent of Democrats supported the plan in general terms, a figure that went up by 2 percentage points when Obama's name was attached to it. Among Republicans, on the other hand, 42 percent backed the proposal, a number that dropped to 31 percent when the president was mentioned.

Obama's Program in Hands of Supreme Court

Beyond garnering support from the American people, Obama will soon have to sway the nation's nine Supreme Court justices if he wants the immigration policies to stay in place, USA Today recalled. The president used executive orders to impose the changes, a move challenged legally by a Texas-led coalition of 26 states.

The nation's highest tribunal on Jan. 19 agreed to hear the case this term, and opponents of the program are urging justices to insist that Congress is responsible for crafting the nation's immigration enforcement laws.

"President Obama is not a king, and impatient presidents don't get to change the law," Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law & Justice, told USA Today. "This executive overreach is both unlawful and unconstitutional," Sekulow insisted.

Supporters: 'Supreme Court Will Advance Common Good'

Immigration activists suggested that the program was originally blocked because the case was heard at lower levels by conservative judges. Supporters expressed optimism that the Supreme Court would allow the new rules to stand.

"We believe the Supreme Court will use common sense to advance the common good. Justice is finally near," insisted Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice.