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Arizona Voters Fed Up with Federal Inaction
on Immigration Reform
AZ-05 Ahead of the Nation on Support for
Comprehensive Immigration Reform
By a huge margin, voters in Arizona's 5th Congressional District (represented by Harry Mitchell) registered deep interest in Congress passing comprehensive immigration reform. The nationwide poll found voter desire for action has substantially increased since last year in and voters are poised to reward lawmakers who support such reforms. These are among the findings of a new nationwide poll conducted by Democratic polling firm, Lake Research Partners, and Republican polling firm, The Tarrance Group, on behalf of the National Immigration Forum and the Manhattan Institute, released Wednesday in Washington.
"There is a dramatic surge in interest in seeing Congress resolve the immigration issue this year across all categories of voters," said Dick White, President of the Arizona Interfaith Network. "Voters in Arizona are clearly laying this issue at the feet of Congress and will not accept gridlock or partisan bickering. We want Arizona's Senators and Congressmen to know that doing nothing is not an option."
Nowhere were these results more dramatic than in Arizona Congressional District 5, where Congressman Harry Mitchell defeated six-term incumbent JD Hayworth last November by supporting immigration reform.
76% of AZ-05 voters support comprehensive immigration reform
Fully three-quarters (76%) of likely voters in AZ-05 support a comprehensive immigration reform proposal that contains the following elements:
- Greatly enhanced border security;
- Much tougher penalties on employers who hire illegally;
- Allowing more foreign workers to come legally to work on a temporary basis;
- Creating a system in which currently undocumented workers can come forward and register with the government, pay a fine, and receive temporary legal work status;
- Allowing temporary workers a multi-step, multi-year process to earn citizenship if they get to the end of the line and satisfy certain criteria such as remaining crime free, learning English, and paying taxes.;
At the national level, the poll found 75% of American voters support such a plan with just 17% opposed. That compares to 71% support and 23% opposition when this same plan was presented to voters in a July 2006 poll by the same pollsters.
This level of support is observed across all categories of voters: white (75%), African-American (70%), Hispanic (74%), strong Republican (76%), strong Democrat (74%), voters in swing congressional districts (72%), very conservative (75%), liberal (75%), white conservative Christians (78%), born again Christians (78%), voters who attend church weekly (76%), seniors (73%), and daily listeners of talk-radio (76%), for example.
81% of likely voters in AZ-05 say immigration reform is "very important" or "extremely important"
More than three-quarters of voters in Arizona?s 5th Congressional District consider immigration reform to be, at a minimum, "very important." The message is clear: voters want action from Congress this year.
71% of likely voters in AZ-05 more likely to vote for legislator who supports comprehensive immigration reform
Almost three-quarters of likely voters in Arizona's 5th Congressional District are more likely to vote for a legislator who supports comprehensive immigration reform. That compares with 67% nationwide as reported by the poll.
The poll comes just as a bipartisan group of US senators, including Sen. Kyl, are pushing to reach agreement on immigration reform that would offer some undocumented residents a chance to become citizens. Senator Kyl's involvement as a key player in the negotiations is quite a departure from last year when he was staunch opponent of a bipartisan immigration reform. However, based on the overwhelming support for comprehensive immigration reform with a path to earned citizenship, Senator Kyl appears to be lagging behind voters nationwide and in his home state.
"Why Senator Kyl is so woefully out of touch with his own constituents is a complete mystery to me. This is an issue in which voters are clearly out in front of their elected leaders," Dick White said. "We call on Senators McCain and Kyl to get behind comprehensive immigration reform legislation and demonstrate that they can solve at least one major problem confronting America today. Doing nothing is not an option: voters will come down on their elected officials like a ton of bricks if this isn't solved comprehensively this year."
American Voters Support a Practical Solution and a Path to Citizenship for Immigrants
Voters were given a choice between comprehensive reform with a path to citizenship and what opponents of comprehensive reform call "attrition." Here's how it was described in the poll:
- "Some people say that we don't need to offer illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, that's amnesty & rewarding them for breaking our laws. By enforcing the law more strictly, it will become so hard to live & work here that they will go back where they came from."
Only 26% choose this option. A robust 65% support comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship.
"People want change, not more of the same. Voters want substantive solutions, not simplistic slogans," said Dick White. "At a time when people feel things in America have gone way off on the wrong track, comprehensive immigration reform presents a rare opportunity of hope for people tired of bad news and gridlock. The voters clearly believe this is an important issue to keeping the nation safe and our economy moving forward. This is a bread and butter, no nonsense issue."
Link to Report:
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