New poll finds strong support for Arizona immigration bill

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PoliticalInsider/79056l


A newly released telephone survey has found that more than two-thirds of those polled favor the state's tough, wide-ranging immigration
measure. But it also found that more than half of those questioned were worried that Senate Bill 1070 could lead to civil rights violations.


The legislation, passed by the Arizona Senate on Monday, is in the hands of Governor Jan Brewer. She has not yet indicated whether she will sign it, veto it, or do nothing and allow it to become law. She has until the end of the day Saturday to take action.


The new poll, which was released Wednesday morning, was conducted by Rasmussen Reports, a New Jersey-based public opinion polling firm that routinely keeps tabs on voter sentiment in a variety of political races and issues around the country.


The firm polled 500 "likely" voters on April 15.


The survey asked if respondents if they "favor or oppose legislation that authorized local police to stop and verify the immigration status
of anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant."

Of those surveyed, 70 percent said they favored it, 23 percent said they opposed it, and 6 percent said they were unsure.

Pollsters also asked respondents "how concerned" they were that efforts "to identify and deport illegal immigrants will also end up violating the civil rights of some U.S. citizens."

Of the 500 individuals surveyed, 53 percent said they were either "very concerned" or "somewhat" concerned.

Another 28 percent said they were "not very" concerned. Eighteen percent said they were "not at all concerned" and 1 percent said they were "not sure."

The immigration measure has landed Arizona squarely in the spotlight of a heated and ongoing debate over immigration reform.

The bill, among other things, makes it a crime to be in the country illegally and requires local law enforcement to determine an individual's legal status if there is reasonable suspicion if he or she is in the U.S. illegally.

Brewer has been mum on her feelings on the legislation, but her would-be opponents in the gubernatorial race are now speaking up.

Leading GOP contenders businessman Owen "Buz" Mills, State Treasurer Dean Martin and former Board of Regents President John Munger have all said they are in favor of the bill's passage.

All are challenging Brewer in what is expected to be a contentious Republican primary late this summer.

Presumptive Democratic nominee Terry Goddard said Monday that he opposes the legislation.

The immigration bill is likely to have a lasting impact on the upcoming election process, according to the Rasmussen Reports poll.

The firm says that 83 percent of Arizona voters say a candidate's position on immigration is an important factor in how they will vote, according to previous surveys it has conducted.

Today's poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points with a 95 percent confidence level.

--Ginger Rough

Will the cops go about enforcing this with racial profiling or will everybody be fairly scrutinized?
I think there are certainly ways to go about enforcing this which would be acceptable.

We have young people in our country who are here because their parents came here undocumented when they were babies or young children. Today these young people are good citizens and many are very bright and socially productive citizens. They can't get citizenship because if they apply they will be sent to a country they don't know, be denied citizenship chances for 10 years, and then when they can apply, they likely will be refused.

We are even deported veterans who served and got out of the military. I had one such veteran on my show who was awarded a medal by President Clinton for saving his commander in Kosovo but got deported a month or so ago because he had a check bounce. This is based on a 1996 law that is now being misused. This is the type laws we need to change.

I'm an immigration lawyer and the horror stories I see everyday resulting from minor legal violations by immigrants would curl most people's hair. But I think sometimes we aren't a very welcoming nation.

...when the Mexicans all decide it isn't worth coming to this shithole of a country anymore.

isn't this why living in a TRUE democracy could be a bad thing? I mean, if majority rules is the law of the land, almost anything can become illegal or prohibited. We actually live in a Republic where we elect representatives who are entrusted with the job of doing what is right/best for the rest of us. Maybe I'm mixed up... it's been along time since civics class. :hi:

my family got to be the target. Then the idea moved to Germany and we all know what happened there. This is insane. Targeting a group of people as all being guilty until proven innocent is NEVER a good idea.

Unless they raise taxes to fund it. That, I would like to see!

.. just like the War on Drugs and our entire foreign poliicy.. the right wing continues to apply brute force... 110% in the wrong direction... and then wonder why things aren't working?....