Six in 10 Favor Legal Status for Illegals; Bush Hits a New Low in Job Approval
In the midst of immigration rallies around the country, Americans express broad demand for tighter borders to keep illegal immigrants out - but also substantial majority support for a guest worker program leading to legal status for those already here.
George W. Bush, for his part, gets poor marks on immigration and more. Buffeted by negative assessments on issues from Iraq to the price of gasoline - and unhelped by his recent speech-making tour - he's touched a new low in ABC News/Washington Post polls, with just 38 percent of Americans approving of his work overall. Not only do 60 percent disapprove, but 47 percent do so "strongly."
On immigration, 63 percent favor letting illegals now working in the United States apply for legal status and eventual citizenship if they meet conditions such as paying a fine and back taxes. Senators are negotiating such a plan after a near-deal derailed Friday.
While support for eventual legal status - the aim of the current demonstrations - shows tolerance for illegals who are already here, it's matched by a hard line on others who'd like to join them. Seventy-five percent of Americans say the government is not doing enough to keep illegals out of the country, a view that crosses regional, political and ideological lines. Fifty-six percent feel strongly about it, a high level of intensity.
The public's single biggest concern about illegal immigrants, perhaps surprisingly, is not about jobs or security, but about taxes and services. A third of Americans say their main concern is that illegals use more public services than they pay for in taxes. That helps explain why a program that includes having illegals pay back taxes is broadly popular.
Fewer cite other choices as their main concern - that illegals simply are here illegally (18 percent), that they take jobs from legal residents (14 percent), that they threaten national security (nine percent) or all these equally (14 percent).
Main concern about illegal immigrants
They use more services than they pay for in taxes 34%
They broke the law to get here 18
They take jobs from legal residents 14
They threaten national security 9
All equally (vol.) 14
Indeed, in further evidence that the main complaint is not about jobs, just 29 percent of Americans think that illegal immigrants overall take jobs that other people want. Sixty-eight percent, instead, say the jobs they take are jobs legal residents wouldn't want anyway.
Immigration cuts close to home for many Americans: One in six say they or at least one of their parents were born in another country. These people are substantially less likely than others to say illegal immigrants take jobs others want, and slightly more apt to support a program leading to legal status for illegals here now. At the same time, two- thirds of them say the government should do more to stop illegal immigration.
POLITICS and IMMIGRATION - The most popular view is not always the most productive politically, and that may be the case with immigration. Even though most Americans support a program that would lead to citizenship, those with less tolerant views - chiefly Republicans and conservatives - are more apt to call it a top issue in their vote in next fall's congressional elections.
Among the nearly two-thirds who favor such a program, 54 percent say it'll be a very important issue in their vote, comparatively few. Among those who favor a temporary guest worker program, more, 62 percent, call it very important. And among those who favor felony status for immigrants with no work program - disproportionately Republicans and conservatives - far more, 79 percent, call it a top issue in their vote.
Similarly, among people who feel strongly that the United States needs to do more to keep illegals out, three-quarters call immigration a top issue in their congressional vote. Among those who are less concerned about tightening the borders, just 41 percent call it a top issue.
All told, among conservative Republicans, immigration ranks fourth on the list of top issues in the 2006 election, behind the three heavy hitters - terrorism, Iraq and the economy. Among liberal Democrats, by contrast, immigration ranks last in voting importance.
The administration has not taken a clear stand on a citizenship component of a worker program for illegal immigrants; that could reflect the fact that its support ebbs (though it's still a slight majority) among Republicans and conservatives. In any case, immigration is not putting any wind in Bush's sails. Americans disapprove of the way he's handling it by nearly a 2-1 margin, 61-33 percent.