Poll Shows Majority Support For AZ Immigration Law

Well, isn't that special? I guess we really are in a post-racial Obama era now, right? Not.

At least two polls (New York Times/CBS and Gallup) show majority support among Americans for Arizona's new harsh anti-immigrant law even though they realize it will probably lead to racial profiling.

The public broadly agrees, across party lines, that the United States could be doing more along its border to keep illegal immigrants out. The view was shared by 78 percent of the respondents.

[...]

Although the respondents broadly agreed that the Arizona law would result in racial profiling, overburden local and state law enforcement agencies and decrease the willingness of illegal immigrants to report crimes for fear of deportation, large majorities said it would reduce the number of illegal immigrants in the state, deter illegal border crossings and, to a lesser extent, reduce crime.

Some attitudes about immigration have remained stable among the public. Most still say illegal immigrants weaken the nation’s economy rather than strengthen it, and public opinion remains divided over how the United States should handle illegal immigrants currently in the country.

But American attitudes toward the law and whether illegal immigrants already here should have a path to citizenship differed markedly across regions and parties. Westerners and Northeasterners, for example, are significantly more likely than those in other regions to say the recent law in Arizona goes too far. And Democrats are much more likely than Republicans or independents to support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants now in the country.

Just 8 percent of Americans said the immigration system needed only minor changes. The vast majority said it needed reworking, including 44 percent who said it needed to be completely rebuilt and 45 percent who said it needed fundamental changes.

So, maybe we'll see a stronger push for comprehensive immigration reform this year after all? Only time will tell.

It should be noted that it is false that undocumented immigrants do not pay taxes. First of all, everyone pays sales taxes. Also, many undocumented immigrants pay state and federal income taxes. Tax collecting agencies do not share information with immigration agencies.