New poll shows overwhelming support nationally for immigration bill

Intermountain Catholic

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SALT LAKE CITY — A public opinion poll released June 13 shows that more than half of Americans and 71 percent of Utahns support the bipartisan reform legislation being debated in Washington.

In April, the bipartisan Senate group known as the Gang of Eight released a bill that would overhaul the existing national immigration system; on June 11 the Senate voted to continue debating the bill. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops supports the proposal in concept, although there are some aspects of the bill that concern the bishops, such as the length of time it would take to receive citizenship and the cost of applying. The bill also calls for strengthening border security.

In general, the legislation allows earned citizenship for those who meet requirements such as registration, paying a fine, paying taxes and taking English classes, and the bishops agree with these requirements. The bishops do, however, oppose several of the amendments being proposed to the legislation.

The new poll conducted jointly by Harper Polling and Public Policy Polling shows that Utah voters support the Gang of Eight bill by large margins: 90 percent of those polled said it was very or somewhat important that the federal government fix its immigration system this year, and 71 percent said they strongly or somewhat support bipartisan immigration reform legislation being debated in Washington.

Nationally, 61 percent to 78 percent of those in the 29 states that were polled said they supported the immigration reform legislation; the poll also showed that this support comes from both Republicans and Democrats. Also, national support is strong for a path to citizenship under the guidelines included in the proposed legislation, according to the poll.

"I welcome these polls as a sign of hope that we are finally going to achieve the elusive goal of comprehensive immigration reform in our country, demonstrating once again what makes our country great," said the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City. "The poll demonstrates that Americans in general, and Utahns in particular, are compassionate and do not want to see immigrant families continue to be separated by enforcement only policies. Utahns are telling their elected officials to act and, if they do, they will have their back."

Of those polled in Utah, 55 percent identified as Republicans, 18 percent as Democrats and 27 percent as Independents; 64 percent said they are more likely to vote for an elected official who supports comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship.

Other Utah leaders also hailed the poll as good news.

"Business leaders make tough decisions every day and we have that same expectation of politicians who represent the people of Utah," said Lane Beattie, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, according to a press release. "We deeply appreciate political leaders who are working to solve problems instead of making excuses. The business community stands with religious leaders, local politicians and the vast majority of the people of Utah in urging Congress to adopt comprehensive immigration reform this year."

"Now is the time to adopt bipartisan national immigration reform that promotes national security, keeps families together, ensures fairness to taxpayers and protects human dignity," said Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams in the press release. "For the good of our economy and the immigrant population in Salt Lake County, I would urge our leaders in Washington to move legislation forward in order to achieve progress on this critical issue."

The poll was conducted in 29 states throughout the nation over the last two weeks. In Utah, it was conducted June 6-7.

The poll was sponsored by the Alliance for Citizenship, a national group whose partner organizations include the American Civil Liberties Union and United Farm Workers; Partnership for a New American Economy, a bipartisan group of mayors and business leaders from across the U.S.; and Republicans for Immigration Reform.

Full results of the poll can be found online at http://goo.gl/LhqbU.