A new Zogby poll of likely voters, found Americans prefer the House of Representatives' enforcement-only bill by 2-1 over Senate proposals to legalize illegal immigrants and greatly increase legal immigration.
The poll was the first I've seen to give respondents a choice between the House, and Senate immigration reform proposals. In the poll the House and Senate bills were described "using neutral language:"
House Bill: Trying to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in the country by enforcing immigration laws, and making illegal immigrants go home over time, with no increase in legal immigration.
Senate Bill: Granting eventual citizenship to illegal immigrants, coupled with a doubling of legal immigration from 1 million to 2 million a year and increased enforcement of immigration laws.
-- Given a choice between the House and Senate approaches, the public prefers the House approach 64 percent to 30 percent.
-- Americans want less, not more, immigration. Most respondents, 67 percent, said immigration should be reduced so those already here can be assimilated.
-- While the Senate is considering legislation that would increase legal immigration from 1 million to 2 million a year, only 2 percent of Americans believe current immigration is too low.
-- Most respondents, 69 percent, said it was a good or very good idea when told that the House bill tries to make illegals go home by fortifying the border, forcing employer verification, encouraging greater cooperation with local law enforcement, and not increasing legal immigration.
-- Respondents are skeptical of the need for illegal-immigrant labor. An overwhelming majority of 77 percent said there are plenty of Americans to fill low-wage jobs if employers pay more and treat workers better.
The Zogby poll was conducted for the Center for Immigration Studies from April 17 - 24, 2006 and has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.
This poll is just the latest evidence that the President, Senate, business leaders and immigrant rights activists are less and less in sync with the American public on what to do about the ever increasing flood of illegal aliens.
I have been writing about "immigration reform" since December 2003, when Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told a Miami audience the country should legalize millions of undocumented immigrants:
The bottom line is, as a country we have to come to grips with the presence of 8 to 12 million illegals, afford them some kind of legal status some way, but also as a country decide what our immigration policy is and then enforce it.
Ridge was wrong, we have an immigration policy. What we don't have, and haven't had, is anyone willing to enforce it. We don't control our borders. State governments encourage the provision of government services to illegal aliens. Local governments enact "sanctuary" programs for illegal aliens, preventing their employees from reporting an illegal alien's status.
Granting amnesty, or legalizing illegal aliens encourages the violation of our laws, and perpetuates illegal immigration. The message legalization sends is get into the U.S. any way you can, eventually the U.S. will make you legal.
History has proven that legalization of illegal aliens is a mistake. As I have posted before, The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 made nearly 4 million illegals eligible for legal residency. That policy was an obvious failure because now there about 12 million "undocumented workers" In the U.S. If these millions of illegal aliens are legalized now, then we should only expect that twenty years from now we will have to consider legalizing 30 million more.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not against immigration. I truly appreciate that we are a nation of immigrants and I recognize that much of the nation's success is owed to immigrants. Immigration is one of the factors that provides the ambition and drive behind the U.S.'s strong entrepreneurial spirit. I understand that certain industries are heavily dependent on immigration. None of the multitude of reasons proving the benefits of immigration justify the illegal immigration. My point is that immigration and our borders must be controlled. Welcome whomever and however many immigrants Congress decides. Just don't reward those here illegally.
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Comments: 10
I am skeptical of polls, I and everyone I know, won't talk to them, but some do.
Reading this I would hope it is true, and that the legislators will pay attention.
What I am seeing and hearing on the street, strictly unverified and heresay only.
The formerly illegal, now legal workers are being displaced by this newer and much larger wave of illegal workers, wages are dropping, working conditions are worsening.
I'm having a tough time with this issue.
I am all for much tougher border control, that one is easy for me.
The harder question for me is what to do with those already here.
I'm A-OK with sending any criminal types home (by that I mean people that end up getting arrested for crimes other than immigration-related offenses and anyone that is "wanted" by criminal authorities back home).
I'm less ok with labeling anybody that's here illegally a felon. As you know, there's a huge illegal population in Los Angeles. I find those that I come in contact with, on the whole, to be very hard working, honest nice people.
Many of them are part of larger families living in the U.S. and composed of some "legals" and some "illegals."
I find it difficult to be too hard line about people that are trying to find themselves and their families a better way of life.
I look at the "do we need the labor" question sort of separately. Quoting from your article:
"Respondents are skeptical of the need for illegal-immigrant labor. An overwhelming majority of 77 percent said there are plenty of Americans to fill low-wage jobs if employers pay more and treat workers better."
The key there for me is IF EMPLOYERS PAY MORE. That opens up and entirely different and very complicated set of issues. What does that mean? Does it mean there should be Federally mandated increase in the minimum wage? I'm not really into that idea and, if I'm guessing correctly about your politics, I bet you aren't either.
Where I seem to be coming out on this in terms of what I'd like to see is: Much tougher border control (including fences -- why do people think its horrendous to have a fence along your border?); some way for most illegals currently in the country to get legal; hold legal immigration steady.
I would like to see a real guest worker program that is not controlled by Mexico to choose participants. NOT a program leading to citizanship. Simply a Guest-Worker and/or Seasonal-6-Month-Work-Visa.
Does that imply that we must consider that all Hispanics are in favor of illegal immigration?
Thanks for covering the poll. While I may disagree with the majority of poll participants, it is interesting to note the results. However, polls aren't perfect, but they at least give us a glimpse of what many people are thinking and feeling.
Sure, but there is an interesting happens when "guest workers" have a child in the United States; the child becomes a citizen. When the child becomes a citizen, the child has a right to stay here, thus the parents have a right to be unified with the child, thus they have the right to become citizens.......and so on.
Frankly, I have no problems with hardworking, decent people from any country coming here to live, work and join our society as citizens......but when they start out by breaking the law......