63% Put Border Control Ahead Of Legalizing Illegal Immigrants
Most voters continue to believe as they have for years that immigration legislation should focus on border control. They also remain supportive of a welcoming immigration policy with a few key restrictions.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 63% of Likely U.S. Voters say when it comes to immigration legislation, gaining control of the border is more important than legalizing the status of undocumented workers already living in this country. Thirty-two percent (32%) feel legalizing the status of these illegal aliens is more important. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
These findings are consistent with surveys back to July 2006.
Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters favor a welcoming immigration policy designed to keep out only national security threats, criminals and those who come here to live off America's welfare system. Twenty-seven percent (27%) disagree with this kind of immigration policy, while 16% are undecided. These findings also have shown little change in surveys dating back to 2006.
Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.
We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.
Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.
To learn more about our methodology, click here.