Poll: Most Open to Letting Immigrants Stay

[Janus]

Originally posted by AP Press
WASHINGTON - Americans are divided about whether illegal immigrants help or hurt the country, a poll finds. More than one-half of those questioned are open to allowing undocumented workers to obtain some temporary legal status so they can stay in the United States.

At the same time, people doubt that erecting a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border could help to fix such a complex and enduring problem, an AP-Ipsos poll found. Two-thirds do not think it would work.

"You can't go and round up 11 million people and ship them out of the country," said Robert Kelly. The Chicago lawyer is among the 56 percent of Americans who favor offering some kind of legal status. "It just isn't practical," he said.

A smaller but still significant share — 41 percent — opposes offering any kind of legal status, giving voice to a law-and-order mind-set that bristles at the notion of officially recognizing those who did not play by the rules to get here.

"Illegal is criminal," said Louella Kelly, a 65-year-old grandmother from Round Rock, Texas.

She said her 16-year-old granddaughter has had a hard time finding part-time work because of all the jobs taken by those who are illegally in the country. "If we're going to give them amnesty, then why don't we give amnesty to all the people who break out of jail?"

Political analysts see an opening in such poll results for President Bush, who supports a temporary guest-worker program.

The Republican Party is divided. Business interests want to preserve their access to foreign workers as a cheap labor force, while many conservatives would rather get tough on illegal immigrants.

The survey found 62 percent of Democrats and 52 percent of Republicans favored temporary worker status.

"If I were in the White House, I would be pretty pleased about this," said Charles Franklin, a University of Wisconsin political science professor who studies public opinion. "It does suggest pretty strongly that the president has the opportunity to drive public opinion on this."

Arizona State University professor Bruce Merrill said immigration was the first issue he had seen in 20 years that did not clearly break along partisan lines. "Conservative Democrats don't feel any different from conservative Republicans," he said, with both camps strongly opposing the idea of rewarding people who broke the law to enter the country.

The AP-Ipsos survey of 1,003 adults was conducted Tuesday through Thursday. Debate is swirling in Congress over a proposal that would legalize many illegal immigrants in the United States and expand guest worker programs for an estimated 400,000 immigrants each year.

Two-thirds of those surveyed think illegal immigrants fill jobs that most Americans do not want, the poll found.

But the survey found greater ambiguity on whether illegal immigrants are good or bad for American society. Fifty-one percent said illegal immigrants mostly make a contribution to society and 42 percent said they were mostly a drain.

Likewise, there was deep division on how serious a crime it should be enter the country illegally. Fifty-one percent thought it should be considered a "minor offense" and 47 percent considered it a "serious criminal offense."

"Americans are quite divided, but it seems as if they are looking for a solution that involves some sort of legal documentation," said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research and Polling Inc., based in Albuquerque, N.M. He predicted that as the issue gets more attention in coming months, more Americans will start forming strong opinions.

Both pro- and anti-immigration interests predicted opinion would move in their direction as people become better informed.

Michelle Waslin, director of immigration policy research for the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic advocacy group, said that as people consider the specific requirements that immigrants would have to meet to obtain legal status, they are more supportive of the idea.

Paul Egan, director of government relations for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which favors stricter immigration rules, said that when people fully understand the potential implications of the guest worker program, they will be more likely to oppose it.

The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

[Janus]

The debate concerning immigration is gaining greater importance.


Originally posted by AP Press
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Sunday he wants a full Senate vote on an immigration bill this week and believes that urgent action is needed despite sharp divisions over whether proposed legislation would amount to amnesty.
"There are 3 million people every year coming across our borders illegally. We don't know who they are; we don't know what their intentions are. We absolutely must address it," said Frist, R-Tenn. "I hope by Friday that we will have a bill on the floor that is comprehensive."

A chief sponsor of a House bill, meanwhile, also called on the Senate to avoid deadlock so lawmakers in both houses can start work on reaching a compromise "for our national security and our economic well-being."

"No bill will end up being the worst of all possible worlds," said Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "This will be tough, and it's the toughest thing that I've done in 37 years in elective public office. But it is an important priority."

The Senate Judiciary Committee last week approved a bill aimed at strengthening enforcement of U.S. borders, regulating the flow into the country of so-called guest workers, and determining the legal future of the illegal population scattered across all 50 states.

The Senate version, which passed 12-6 in committee and was broadly endorsed by President Bush, goes further than the House bill that imposes criminal penalties, proposes building a fence along the borders and is limited to enforcement.

Still, several lawmakers, including Frist, have criticized as unacceptable the Senate provisions that would let illegal aliens already in the U.S. seek citizenship without returning to their home country, paying fines and learning English.

Saying that issue was the "fundamental question," Frist said Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition" that he believes the final Senate version will address ways to provide eventual legal status to some of the 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.

"I don't think we should legislate a track that gives a privileged status to people who broke the law," Frist said. "If somebody is here and they're a felon or multiple misdemeanors or somebody who is not working, someone who has been here for a year ... yes, I think they'd have to go back home."

Sen. Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record), R-S.C., predicted the full Senate will approve the committee's bill and doubted that some Republicans will try to stage a filibuster to block it.

"It would be political suicide for our party to filibuster a comprehensive solution to a real problem facing America," Graham said on "Fox News Sunday." "It would be political suicide to ignore there's 11 million people, illegally undocumented, who are trying to work and add value to our country."

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, said it is "conceivable" the Senate will reach consensus but called the House bill unacceptable. Allowing illegal aliens already here to seek citizenship is necessary since deporting millions of workers is unrealistic, he said.

"People will have to demonstrate that they're working hard and they're paying taxes, that they have no criminal record," said Durbin, who appeared with Sensenbrenner on CBS' "Face the Nation."

"Some will be able to meet these requirements; some will not. But it's the only way to bring people out of the shadows and have a system consistent with American values," he said.

[Disciple of Prometheus]

I think the illegal immigrant thing, is a tricky debate. While on one hand they get money to feed and support their family, their also slowly draining the American economy, because it's all ready in debt, and it simply can't afford this massive influx of illegal immigrants; it appears to me that it will become a lose-lose situation, for both the Mexican and American people, (mostly Mexican though). What Mexico really needs to do, is to tap into it's large oil supply, I guarantee you that will greatly help the vast majority of the Mexican people, since last time I checked Mexico is a Socialist state. Mexico has many economic opportunities to help it's people make more money, such as tourism, various food and drink items, and again it's oil, it's just a matter of getting the people to wake up their government, otherwise they will drag America slowly into poverty as well.

[Janus]

While on one hand they get money to feed and support their family, their also slowly draining the American economy
A lot of immigrants stay in the US and take part in it. Immigrants draining the US economy? :blink: What about the war in Iraq?


since last time I checked Mexico is a Socialist state
:blink: Mexico socialist? There are some state-owned companies but that's it.


it's just a matter of getting the people to wake up their government
Easier said than done.


otherwise they will drag America slowly into poverty as well.
:blink: The US was built on immigration and has evolved due to it. Many Mexicans decide to stay in the US and become a part of it. Though conservative propagandists would like you to believe otherwise.

[Disciple of Prometheus]

A lot of immigrants stay in the US and take part in it. Immigrants draining the US economy? :blink: What about the war in Iraq?

That to, that's one of the many reasons why America is spinning into a massive debt.


:blink: Mexico socialist? There are some state-owned companies but that's it.

That's just what I heard, I wasn't and am not familiar with the Mexican government system, so I'm probably wrong.


Easier said than done.

Very true.


:blink: The US was built on immigration and has evolved due to it. Many Mexicans decide to stay in the US and become a part of it. Though conservative propagandists would like you to believe otherwise.

I agree, what I meant was that with the massive influx of immigrants, it takes that much more money to pay them properly, and feed them, I'm not saying "let no immigrants in," what I am saying is it also costs that much more money to properly pay the workers and the benefits that includes.

[Janus]

it takes that much more money to pay them properly, and feed them
The immigrants readily work for lower wages and they can't get much government relief because they are illegals. Yes, employers are more likely to hire these immigrants but look at the bigger picture. It's not the immigrants' fault for the unemployment of natives but rather the capitalist system itself.

[Disciple of Prometheus]

Originally posted by [email protected] 2 2006, 11:33 PM

it takes that much more money to pay them properly, and feed them
The immigrants readily work for lower wages and they can't get much government relief because they are illegals. Yes, employers are more likely to hire these immigrants but look at the bigger picture. It's not the immigrants' fault for the unemployment of natives but rather the capitalist system itself.
Very true, and I think it is highly unfair and damn near slavery to be paid for so little, for doing such hard work, I mean these people work a lot more and a lot harder then the CEO's of companies and what have you, and they get paid way below minimum wage, even though there illegally here, doesn't give people the right to exploit these poor people.