Poll: Legal Immigrants Feel Illegal Immigrants Take Jobs Americans Don’t Want March 28, 2006
Posted by notapundit in Main, US News.trackback
LOS ANGELES (AP)–A majority of immigrants who came to the United States legally think undocumented workers help the economy by providing cheap labor, according to a poll released Tuesday.
Of those surveyed, 81% said illegal immigrants accept low-end jobs that Americans don’t want. Some 73% said illegal immigrants aided the economy by supplying low-cost labor.
“By an overwhelming percentage, legal immigrants don’t have bad feelings toward the undocumented,” said Sergio Bendixen, whose firm Bendixen & Associates conducted the poll.
The poll was based on telephone interviews with 800 legal immigrants from Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa between Feb. 24 and March 21. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
The findings come as the U.S. Senate considers immigration reform proposals, including legislation that passed a panel Monday clearing the way for 11 million illegal aliens to seek U.S. citizenship.
The House of Representatives has already passed legislation that would make it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally, impose new penalties on employers who hire illegals and erect more fences along the U.S.-Mexican border.
When told about reform proposals in Congress, 68% of poll respondents said they supported temporary work permits for illegal immigrants and a way for them to apply for residency after learning English and paying a fine.
That seems to conflict with arguments by some lawmakers opposed to any kind of legalization program. Those politicians say it would be unfair to legal residents who’ve played by the rules.
The poll findings were in line with the opinions of many legal immigrants who have poured into the streets around the nation to protest against legislation that harshly cracks down on illegal immigrants.
“Nobody comes here to get on welfare,” said Perias Pillay, 43, who was 18 when he immigrated legally from Malaysia. “They come here to work, and as long as we need workers we should let them come.”
Asked about lawmakers’ handling of immigration issues, 32% of those surveyed said Congress and President Bush were doing a good job. Democrats received the highest approval with 38%. Republicans garnered 22%.
The poll was commissioned by New America Media, a nonprofit San Francisco-based umbrella organization for more than 700 ethnic media outlets. Researchers said immigrants in 47 states were interviewed by using random digit dialing in areas of the country with high numbers of immigrant subgroups.
More than 60% of immigrants interviewed said they were alarmed by the tone of the immigration reform debate. Sixty-seven% said they believed anti-immigration sentiment was growing, and 64% said it was fueled by racism.
An interesting debate might be formed between the legal immigrants, and illegal immigrants if they knew the ramifications of accepting illegals as citizens after some fashion. That America hasn’t heard from them, and only from polticians touting an array of programs is clouding the issues rather than clarifying them.
Further, the persons who benefit from illegal immigrants and hyper-wealthy for whom they work might have interesting perspectives on America’s toleration of illegal immigrants that it is important for the entire nation to understand, and evalutate within the dynamics of how America does democracy, and economics.
The issue is far from solved, and does definitely impact all of Americans trying to save or survive today’s approach to American survival, much less trying to capture a measure of American prosperity.
It is not true that illegal immigrants only take the jobs Americans don’t want. Most illegals work day labor or cash for labor jobs. They work for many construction and that type of work which many many Americans do for a living and are being underbid by these immigrants who will work for half the pay. Also, restaurants hire them by the truck load. Millions of American citizens work in restaurants for a living. What about custodians? Millions of American citizens are janitors or custodians. Illegals take these jobs for less pay as well. Our economy is in the toilet right now and to say that the millions of illegal immigrants are not having an effect on that would be just plain stupid of anyone. How can anyone say that these major jobs in the United states are jobs that we do not want? We do them, have done them for hundreds of years before they all got here right? Now all of a sudden we do not want these jobs? How ridiculous.
All I keep hearing is that immigrants are taking jobs that Americans don’t want. Well, my thoughts are that is bogus. It is hard enough to live off of minimum wage, but when you have large companies paying below than how do you expect Americans to survive. People say immigration is good for the economy. The people who are making this statement are the ones who are capitalizing on immigration. The ones who are losing out are the people who need it the most and there the people living below the poverty line. The problem is that it is being allowed. The reason is because most of the immigrants are poor and there only affect the poor. Image if all of the immigrants were doctors and lawyers and there all rush the border by the thousandth and there charge people have the price those American doctors and lawyers did how long you think massive influx of immigrants would be allowed to come let alone stay in America. Until it is a problem for the people on top, than it’s not a problem.
Both of you are absolutely correct! I am so glad to know that at least some of my fellow Americans have not been misguided by the damned politically correct media! Thank you so much for your opinions. If it were up to me I would personally kick every damned illegal out of the country or force them to get fluent in English. America is not a multicultural nation and we should not change our culture to suit them.