How To Handle Illegal Immigrants


Path to Citizenship

(29%)

Deport Them

(40%)


Temporary Worker

(29%)

This poll offers an incomplete list of choices. It's gaping flaw is that it lacks any attrition through enforcement of current (or enhanced) law choice or even a do nothing/benign neglect choice. The latter is always a policy option and should not be forgotten. A lot people would much rather do nothing than any of those 3 offered choices. 'Deport them' doesn't poll such a high % (40%!) when attrition is included. I figure a lot of people chose 'Deport them' only because there was no other rule of law/enforcement option. When a fuller range of options is offered, here is an example of what you get:

The majority (59%) believe the more effective way to deal with the...millions of illegal immigrants living within the United States is to crack down on illegal immigration by toughening the enforcement of existing laws, deporting illegal immigrants and prosecuting the employers who illegally employ workers. But nearly a third (32%) favor creating a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants so that they no longer have to live in the shadows of society and can live without fear of prosecution.

http://www.zogby.com/NEWS/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1290

The think the most reliable poll isn't hypothetical but when actual, proposed legislation is polled with simple, unbiased choices of 'do you favor passage' or 'do you favor defeat'. By that standard, last year's Senate CIR bill polled extremely low (23% by this poll):

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/immigration/support_for_senate_immigration_bill_falls_49_prefer_no_bill_at_all


'In fact, the deportation-only approach favored by many candidates...'

Many candidates? Let's hear some names. This is an apocryphal argument.

Jack:

I dont give a damn what the poll says about attitude of immigrants. There are no national referendums. We only elect a President and the congress. They voted for John McCain and all polls indicate a sweeping McCain victory on tuesday and if the congressional polls are any indication, we may well have a pro-amnesty congress and a pro-amnesty President. My challenge to the antis and Lou Dobbs is, try and stop it! If you fail, you can wail all you want, I would just say: you lost, get over it!

""I've already made my plans to emigrate to Australia," joked Jim Gilchrist, founder of anti-illegal immigration group the Minuteman Project."

""There's no question that members of the Republican establishment are lining up behind McCain because they want to preserve their future," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the hardliner group Center for Immigration Studies.

"(But) I think there's going to be a lot of Republicans who are simply not going to vote with him because of this. They're not going to campaign for him.""

I love to see the antis squirm and get an ulcer, especially this racist Mark Kirkorian.