Seventy-nine percent (79%) of American adults favor a proposal requiring employers to fire workers who falsify identity documents. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 9% are opposed while 12% are not sure.

The survey was conducted as the Bush Administration announced a series of proposals designed to crack down on illegal immigration. One proposal would require companies to fire workers if proper documents are not provided by the employee within 90 days. While this proposal has upset some immigrant-rights leaders, most Americans would like to go even further—74% believe that if a person wants to rent an apartment they should be required to provide documents proving they are in the country legally. Just 17% are opposed.

Earlier this year, the Senate finally bowed to public pressure and rejected a “comprehensive” immigration reform bill that was popular among the political elite but unpopular with just about everybody else. The latest Bush Administration push on enforcement may be another concession to public opinion. Had the increased border enforcement measures been initiated a few years earlier, there might have been more public support for the “comprehensive” reform package favored by the President.

Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Americans believe it is Very Important to improve border enforcement and reduce illegal immigration. That view is held by 80% of Republicans, 62% of Democrats, and 64% of those not affiliated with either major political party. Those figures are little changed from earlier in the year.

The government currently has little credibility in this arena. Just 12% of Americans believe the federal government is doing enough to secure the border and reduce illegal immigration. Seventy-one percent (71%) say it is not doing enough. Skepticism about the government’s commitment to border enforcement led to the defeat of “comprehensive” immigration reform earlier this year. While voters looked saw a reduction in illegal immigration as the primary goal of reform, just 16% believed the Senate legislation would accomplish that goal. Forty-one percent (41%) actually thought the Senate bill would lead to an increase in illegal immigration.

During the debate in the Senate, advocates of the “comprehensive” reform proposal appeared primarily interested in the provisions in the bill that would legalize the status of illegal aliens already living in the United States. Just 28% of Americans consider that goal to be Very Important. Thirty-six percent (36%) of Democrats say it’s Very Important to legalize the status of undocumented workers. That view is shared by 22% of Republicans and 23% of those not affiliated with either major political party.

Crosstabs available for Premium Members only.