It’s not just the Wall Street Journal. Kos, founder of the progressive political site Daily Kos, digs into our new polling figures today in a post called, “Immigration reform enjoys dominant support.”
Beneson Strategy Group (PDF) for America’s Voice. 5/9-12. Likely voters. MoE 3.1%
Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, strongly oppose Congress passing comprehensive immigration reform?
Total Support 64
Strongly support 31
Somewhat support 33Total Oppose 21
Somewhat oppose 10
Strongly oppose 10
So check it — conventional wisdom is that tough economic times generates anti-immigrant sentiment, but these numbers are stellar. And that’s just asking people about “comprehensive immigration reform”. Look what happens when they are told what that actually means:
One version of immigration reform that people have discussed would take a comprehensive approach. It would secure the border, crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, and require illegal immigrants to register for legal immigration status, pay back taxes, and learn English in order to be eligible for U.S. citizenship. Would you ... Congress passing this proposal?
Total Support 86
Strongly support 58
Somewhat support 28Total Oppose 14
Somewhat oppose 6
Strongly oppose 7
That’s a stunning 29-point shift, with well over a majority of respondents “strongly approving”. The Minutemen crowd, no matter how much noise it might make, is fringier than fringe.
Stunning is a good way to put it. One challenge, this polling shows, is just getting the message out to people that there is a common-sense solution on the table.
