Poll: Illegal Immigration A Minor Concern In State

"Never said anything about deporting them all, though a certain percentage wouldn't hurt."

If and when reform is put in place, that will happen.

Under McKennedy, the Bush Plan, and the Specter Plan, a certain percentage will not qualify and will have to leave. This could be for not meeting employment requirements, criminal activity, and things such as that.

Also, each of these reform plans is predicated on a cut-off date. That is, if they came before such-and-such date, they are included, if after that date, they have to leave. This will be a significant number.

I'm not certain what the cut-off date on McCain Kennedy is, but for the Bush Plan and the Specter Plan, that date is Jan 4, 2004. This date was chosen because many people said that Bush's announcement in Feb, 04 caused a spike/increase in illegal entry.

Thank God we have representative government, with some semblance of rational, thought-out decision making, rather than the angry masses ruling via direct voting.

I think James Madison put it best in Federalist 10 when he said:

From this view of the subject it may be concluded that a pure democracy, by which I mean a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person, can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction. A common passion or interest will, in almost every case, be felt by a majority of the whole; a communication and concert result from the form of government itself; and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party or an obnoxious individual. Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.

The article states that even illegals were polled. So it's worthless.

Here's a recent Quinnipiac University poll.

March 4, 2006

With debate over immigration heating up in Washington, a Quinnipiac University poll released Friday found that 83 percent of immigrants or their children and grandchildren believe illegal immigration is a "very serious" or "somewhat serious" problem.

The poll also found that 88 percent of all poll respondents share the same opinion. And it said that by 72 percent to 25 percent, U.S. voters oppose giving undocumented immigrants driver's licenses.

"This poll reflects local concerns about immigrants gathering on street corners, waiting for jobs, or packed into illegal housing and the like," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Red state, blue state and purple state voters agree: Illegal immigration is a serious problem."

The poll, conducted Feb. 21 to 28, surveyed 1,892 registered voters nationwide. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.

The poll found that 39 percent of voters want to reduce the current level of legal immigration, 24 percent want to increase it, and 33 percent want to maintain it. The poll also found that:

By 62 percent to 32 percent, voters oppose making it easier for undocumented immigrants to become citizens.

By 84 percent to 14 percent, they favor requiring proof of legal residency to obtain government benefits.

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