Do polls show support for "comprehensive immigration reform"?

Yes, misleading and/or incomplete polls do show support for "comprehensive immigration reform". The latest such poll is crowed about by Reuters, which is your first clue that there's something wrong:

Most Americans believe illegal immigrants should be allowed to become guest workers and eventually U.S. citizens, but Congress should do more to close the border to stop more illegals entering the country, according to a new poll published on Tuesday.

The nationwide poll, conducted by Quinnipiac University, found that by a margin of 69 percent to 27 percent, American voters say illegal immigrants should be allowed into a guest worker program with the ability to work toward citizenship over a period of several years. Such a guest worker program had wide support among voters of all political stripes.

Our next clue that there's something wrong is when we look at one of the questions that was asked:

15. Currently illegal immigrants cannot apply for citizenship. If the law were changed to allow illegal immigrants to register into a guest worker program, should that program offer them the ability to work toward citizenship over a period of several years?

The results: 69% yes, 27% no.

However, if Quinnipiac University wanted to conduct a poll based on reality, they would have then asked other questions:

16. Do you still say "yes" to #15 knowing that it would result in endless chain migration, as new "guests" can invite in family members, who will then invite in other family members, and so on?

17. Do you still say "yes" to #15 knowing that it would encourage more illegal aliens to come here in expectation of receiving the next amnesty, or even in expectation of using fake documents to take part in the current amnesty?

18. Do you still say "yes" to #15 knowing that it would give political power to groups (growers, far-left organizations, racial power organizations, etc.) that have supported illegal immigration in the past and will no doubt continue to support it?

19. Do you still say "yes" to #15 knowing that it would give even more political power inside the U.S. to Mexico?

Around about question #25, only the most cheap labor-besotted would still support "comprehensive immigration reform".

Please write pollinginstitute *at* quinnipiac.edu with your thoughts.

Immigration · Tue, 11/21/2006 - 16:13 · · Importance: 1