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Jonathan Alcorn / Reuters
People line up for assistance with paperwork for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, August 15, 2012.
WASHINGTON — More than half of U.S. citizens believe that most or all of the country's 11 million illegal immigrants should be deported, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday that highlights the difficulties facing lawmakers trying to reform the U.S. immigration system.
The online survey shows resistance to easing immigration laws despite the biggest push for reform in Congress since 2007.
Thirty percent of those polled think that most illegal immigrants, with some exceptions, should be deported, while 23 percent believe all illegal immigrants should be deported.
Only 5 percent believe all illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the United States legally, and 31 percent want most illegal immigrants to stay.
These results are in line with other polls in recent years, suggesting that people's views on immigration have not changed dramatically since the immigration debate reignited in Congress last month, according to Ipsos pollster Julia Clark.
"It's not Americans' views that are shifting. It is that the political climate is ripe for this discussion," after the November election when Hispanics voted overwhelmingly in favor of Democratic President Barack Obama, she said.
"Democrats feel that the time is right to capitalize on their wins and Republicans feel that they had a bad blow and are eager to reach out to Hispanics," she added.
Polls show that most Americans back immigration reform, although they often have different ideas of what that means, with some people favoring looser immigration laws while others want to see greater border security.
A group of eight U.S. senators are working on a bipartisan deal to enact immigration reform, the first major attempt since a similar overhaul died in Congress six years ago.
The senators' proposal calls for a full path to citizenship for illegal immigrants once they pay back taxes and a fine and wait in line behind others applying to become Americans.
A plan by Obama has similar provisions, but the senators want any move to relax immigration laws dependant on boosting security on the southern border.
Attitudes toward immigration are polarized by party, according to another the Reuters/Ipsos poll. Seventy-five percent of Republicans think all or most immigrants should be deported, compared to 40 percent of Democrats who think the same.
Republican Senator John McCain, one of the eight senators in the group, had his own encounter with citizens angered by illegal immigration on Tuesday when residents of his state of Arizona complained bitterly at a town hall meeting about the lack of security on the border with Mexico.
One man asked why troops had not been deployed to the border.
"Why didn't the army go down there and stop them? Because the only thing that stops them I'm afraid to say, and it's too damn bad, is a gun," the man said.
Another resident, Keith Smith, got into a testy exchange with McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate whose views on immigration have fluctuated over the years.
"Cut off their welfare and all their stuff and they'll go back," Smith said, referring to undocumented workers.
McCain had been trying to explain his position: "You're not telling these people the truth. They mow our lawns, they care for our babies, they clean ... that's what those people do," he said.
The Arizona lawmaker, whose position on immigration hardened during the 2010 midterm elections before softening again, is a key part of the Republican side of the senators' bipartisan immigration effort.
Wednesday's Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted Friday through Tuesday and surveyed 1,443 Americans over the age of 18.
The precision of the Reuters/Ipsos online poll is measured using a credibility interval. In this survey, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
Additional reporting by Tim Gaynor in Phoenix
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The corps that run the land love the fact that illegals keep our salary's low... so they aren't going to allow them to be kicked out. Cheap labor from contractors that employ illegals, crap made in china... it all lets your boss pay you less and keep more for himself. The fact that you want them gone is of no importance...
dan, are you really that dumb?
The 1986 and all subsequent amnesties promised to be the last one. I am sick of the lies of the politicians.
Any comprehensive immigration reform needs to start with mandatory E-Verify for all employees in the country with a 30-day window. Don't use it get fined $1,000 per day per employee.
Then drop birthright citizenship - that was the opposite of what the authors of the ammendment wanted.
Next create a system to identify visa overstayers and fine them if they don't leave the country when they are supposed to.
And for the 'students' who came here to learn - get your degree and go back and improve your country - that is what you signed up to do.
Finally reduce our insane immigration levels from over 1 million per year to 100,000 and stop all chain migration/ family reunification. We have too many people and don't need more to compete for jobs. This 100,000 per year is it. Zero H-1B, L1 and other visas designed to force more Americans out of work.
Wait 5 years and THEN and only THEN can we talk about an amnesty for any illegal aliens left.
Our representatives in DC aren't representing us and it makes me want to puke.
We need snipers on the border to get them as they enter and all illegal imigration will soon stop
I'm sneakin' in talkin' to Juan,and suddenly his head isn't there to talk to.I'm ,also suddenly, interested in what a great country mexico is.
Yet another amnesty without any enforcement measures. Before the 86 amnesty we were promised it would be the last one because they would include strong enforcement measures. Those never appeared, were never funded or enforced. Between then and now there have been 7 other smaller amnesties without any enforcement.
All it has done is embolden the next generation of illegal alien lawbreakers to jump to the head of the line, take jobs, welfare benefits - cause wage suppression, demand services in Spanish.
AND NOW WE ARE EXPECTED TO GIVE THEM CITIZENSHIP?!?
Independent studies show this amnesty will cost multiple trillions of dollars. Who do you think is going to pay for that?
As to Obama's claim to go to the back of the line - they get work permits and all the perks of citizenship? That doesn't sound like the end of the line to be... it sounds like a limo ride to the front of the line.
Before any talk of amnesty - lets try strong enforcement first.
Mandatory E-Verify with a 30 day implementation period. $1,000 per day fines for employers that don't comply for each person they don't check through E-Verify.
No more unlimited specialty visas - those have been abused in the past to provide a back door for illegal aliens and those who skirt our laws.
Funding and implementation of the visa entry/exit tracking system... not all illegals are from latin america and in addition to the 11-30 million Hispanic illegal aliens there are millions more from around the world.
Reduction in legal immigration from the current over 1 million per year to the more traditional (pre-1965) 50-100,000.
If anyone believes we need to create a new city the size of Philadelphia each and every year come visit the overcrowded cites and you will change your mind.
Plus we don't need the inherent law of supply and demand driven wage suppression that importing that many people brings. We have over 20 million people looking for work in the US and in areas where there aren't (yet) a lot of illegal aliens they do all jobs including cooking, cleaning, meat processing, agriculture etc. so don't lie that illegal aliens do the jobs American's won't do... we will do anything for a fair wage but if a job pays under minimum wage under the table to illegal aliens that company should be fined out of existence. It's not fair to other companies who play by the rules to be driven out of business by scum who exploit illegal aliens for lower labor costs.
Lets try enforcement for 50 years or so and then and only then we can talk about amnesty for any illegal alien who is left. My guess is it will end up being a lot less than 11-30 million.
Half of Americans listen to Republican idiots. No surprise.
aside from being a sassy pants,that doesn't really speak to the issue
The 31% that wants illegal immigrants to stay are probably here illegally... The US has enough problems without taking anchor babies, primos, and other derelicts with english as a fifth language. I say put em all back in Texas, Arizona and California and let their state govts deal with the problems. Our elected officials want their votes(dem) and the (rep) want their cheap labor, so people that have been here for generations are just ##it out of luck!
stevo, I bet Joe would know what to do with them.
Old alter boy. There is and has been for some time a guest worker program for agriculture workers to come in from other countries. It's called H2A. That's how farm owners are supposed to get their temp. workers.
Center for Immigration Studies, revealed that heads of
households born in Mexico are the most likely nationality to be on some form of
food assistance, with 45.3 percent reporting use of food assistance.
By comparison, 13.9 percent of native-born Americans
reported using food assistance
I want to know what idiot thinks he can call himself chestypuller? You probably couldnt be the crap on his boots. Let me guess, you saw a marine once on television.
When we talk about immigration we need to set some ground rules.First and foremost, the history and plight of Native Americans has NOTHING to do with this issue.I believe most Americans would say that the NAs deserve billions in health care,whatever,regardless of politics or casinos or any parties agenda.BUT THAT IS OFF THE TABLE AS FAR AS THIS ISSUE. Next-this is OUR GOVERNMENT.I believe it is very much MOST AMERICANS want these people out .Not only that,NO ANCHOR BABIES. NOW we can talk about illegals and how to get them out of OUR -OUR COUNTRY
They are here ILLEGALLY. That means against the law. It doesn't take a genious of economics to realize HOW BAD that is for a country. We have to draw the line for our own good!!
Your president wants their money, their votes, and to help enslave and take away from YOU! Congrats America! Get a clue.
No surprise here, to anyone but politicians motivated to get the Hispanic vote.
It's time our politicians do the job they were elected to do. As a citizen, expected to follow the law, why is this any different? I understand the need for a better life but we have laws in place and a proper way to do this. Also, our borders need to be secured NOW!!! Terrorists are coming in through these borders, pretending to be immigrants. If we have another terrorist attack because of these jackasses that won't do anything, blood will be on there hands...
Lets see, 50% of the nation voted against obama, 75% don't want to fund "free health care" and the majority of the nation are in favor of deportation; yet here we are, obama still somehow won and we have more illegals now than ever. Too bad the people who actually work, vote and are legal, got out voted by those whose only work is voting...for more "free" of course..so even though the people want deportation of illegals, that won't happen, because if it did, then the demorats would have to admit that it was the illegals who voted to keep mr "free" in power!
What Obozzo, McCain and all other liberals fail to comprehend is that all these estimated 75 million of freeloaders living in the U.S. are here for the free ride as well as their parents who came here ILLEGALLY and therefore these bunch of bastards are also here ILLEGALLY, yet nobody has the gonads from any state government much less Washington to exercise the full extend of the law. There's not even a fence in most bordering states. Start by going door to door, city by city, kicking doors and work places, rounding them all up like cockroaches and start processing them out and if they want to come back they pay penalties, taxes, any unpaid bills, fines and fees and go to the END OF THE LINE and wait in their country to be called like everyone else that comes in here LEGALLY. Mexican census authorities from IFE and Health & Human Services estimate there are around 250 thousand new Mexican citizens born every day. Mexico City and surrounding areas, itself is burtsing at the seams at over 30 million people but so is every other large city including TIJUANA. However things are not that bad for the highly educated and professional minded, there's great pay, great benefits, great medical by ISSTE and even the common populace has FREE popular medical benefits now. So for those that want to study, earn a degree and work hard there's a bright future. For those that choose the typical lazy-ass freeloading life of crime causing mayhem, killings, murders, robberies, rapes, torture, narco- trafficking, and everything else not mentioned THESE ARE THE ILLEGAL BASTARDS THAT CONTINUE TO COME ACROSS IN DROVES BY THE THOUSANDS PER DAY ALL ACROSS ANY BORDER U.S. CITY! But you whities never see this real picture because you are so busy with your IPAD, or android smart phone living inside your pink palaces, so due to your own stupidity and ignorance your getting what you deserve-MORE ILLEGALS!
"They mow our lawns, they care for our babies, they clean..."
Not mine they don't. If I need that kind of help I hire young Americans who need the work. Smug smartass comment from McCain just shows the arrogance of the Ruling Class.
My niece is married to an illegal who has been deported for drug dealing and sneaks back into the country. They have a couple of kids who have to be supported by mom and Grandma since he cannot legally work. I would kick his sorry butt back to Mexico so that my niece and her kids could be rid of the scum who is too lazy to live and certainly will never contribute to this country except for more kids he will not support! Who do I report this lazy b'tard to?
I'm sorry for you .Your niece bred 2 more "Americans"
Hmmm, lets see,
I take out a govt loan, buy five buses and charge $25.00 a head to drive them just across the border and drop them off. They came here with nothing and they take back what ever they can carry, no harm, no foul.
I should be able to do a thousand a day with five buses.
So 25. x 1000.= $25,000.00 a day
4 drivers ( I am the 5th ) 8hrs @50.00hr ( with insurance benefits )= $1,600.00 a day ( $2,000.00 counting me )
cost of the buses per day $500.00 avg.= $2,500.00
Total cost=$5,500.00 per day whoo nelly= $19,500.00 profit per day, heck I'll even double the cost and labor and I am still making $14,000.00 a day profit. That is until the competition kicks in and I only get $15.00 to $20.00 per head, LOL, and only means we can deport more faster and cheaper.
Okay it is not a career kind of thing but a few people will make a lot of money in a short time where some folks can find a career doing something else.
"Thirty percent of those polled think that most illegal immigrants, with some exceptions, should be deported, while 23 percent believe all illegal immigrants should be deported."
Good luck getting the current members of Congress and the Obama administration to honor the wishes of the MAJORITY of American citizens in this poll.It is as if we expect the government to enforce the laws already on the books...you know the ones they swore an oath in public to uphold...yeah those laws.
Next
Deport them!!!!
At least the majority of one party is looking out for US Citizens, and that would be the Republican Party. Nice going Demoncrats on not caring for the Legal Tax Paying Citizens of this Country. Maybe 60% of the Demoncratic Party should be deported along with the Illegals.
Illegal aliens represent 6% of the population of Arizona, yet they represent 17% of the inmates convicted of murder serving time in the Arizona State Prison.
Over 10 percent in CA; at $50 K each per annum.And 20 percent of federal inmates, at a similar cost.
Round them up.......put them on busses........tatooo them with a means of letting us know they were here before...and send them home......if they come back put them to work at hard labor building a wall that they couldn't cross again ......with guard towers , guns , dogs, and mines ......
I don't mind those who come the right way.......but if you come ....stand in line like my wife and daughter in law did........
The first priority to end illegal immigration and all this debate is the elimination of the Anchor Baby interpretation of the 14th Amendment. It currently is interpreted to mean anyone born here is a citizen. It was originally to ensure slaves and their offspring would be considered citizens - not to allow citizen baby popping by anyone who can sneak across the border.
Very limited.....
Time to over throw the government of this country.Arm youself and get ready.
But,what about the Mall,Micky-Ds,Tevo,The supper bowl,3 dollar gallon gas,Golfing on saturday,Summer vacation,Softball games,Buying more plastic stuff from Wal-Mart,getting my teeth cleaned,taking the dog to the vet,trout fishing starts soon,etc....