A New Poll Finds Americans Prefer Enforcement-Only Immigration Reform

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

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-- 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.

Comments

[California Yankee]

Thanks Sara.

[sara]

Well said. Yours is a realistic look at the situation, in the world today.