63% Still Believe Border Control Is Top Immigration Priority
Nearly two-thirds of voters still believe border control should be the top priority in the fight against illegal immigration, but they also continue to support a welcoming immigration policy.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 63% of Likely U.S. Voters say when it comes to immigration reform, gaining control of the border is more important than legalizing the status of undocumented workers already living in the United States. Thirty percent (30%), however, feel legalizing undocumented workers is more important. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Support for border control as a legislative priority has been at this level for years now.
But while voters remain convinced that border security plays a pivotal role in reducing illegal immigration, 55% favor a welcoming immigration policy that keeps out only national security threats, criminals and those who would come here to live off America’s welfare system. Thirty percent (30%) disagree with such a policy, while 15% more are not sure. These findings, too, have remained fairly consistent for several years.
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 17-18, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
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