The two amnesty bills that House Speaker Pelosi hopes to pass this week fail public support in a number of ways, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll. The bills would grant amnesty to nearly 5 million illegal aliens who came as minors or as agricultural workers. (These bills are just a small part of what Pres. Biden's comprehensive amnesty bill would do.)
Asked about the amnesties in general language, the 1,000 likely voters opposed them 51% to 45%. In terms of intensity, those who "strongly" oppose the amnesties outnumbered those who "strongly" support the amnesties by a 35 to 22 margin.
The poll found that large majorities of likely voters think that any amnesty should (1) mandate E-Verify to be fully implemented for all employers before any benefits for illegal aliens, (2) bar the amnestied illegal aliens from any family chain migration, and (3) exclude illegal aliens who have been in the country for fewer than 10 years. The two amnesty bills being pushed by Speaker Pelosi fail on all counts. (Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence)
Q2* Congress is considering legislation to give lifetime work permits and a path to citizenship for an estimated five million illegal immigrants. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose this legalization?
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22% Strongly support legalization
23% Somewhat support legalization
16% Somewhat oppose legalization
35% Strongly oppose legalization
4% Not sure
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The level of opposition may have been influenced by the first question in the poll which asked voters about the surge at the Mexican border. The response to that question clearly suggests that the worsening news from the border is getting through to voters and is on their minds. The intensity answers provide the most helpful view, with just under half (48%) "very concerned" and only 7% "not at all concerned."
Q1* Regarding the growing number of migrants at the U.S. border with Mexico, how concerned are you about the government's ability to handle them while meeting Covid-19 protocols?
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48% Very concerned
25% Somewhat concerned
18% Not very concerned
7% Not at all concerned
1% Not sure
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ANY AMNESTY WOULD HAVE TO PROHIBIT CHAIN MIGRATION FOR THE ILLEGAL ALIENS
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The poll did not tell voters that the two amnesties that Pelosi is pushing will give chain migration privileges to every one of the covered illegal aliens. But by a 66% to 22% margin, likely voters said anybody getting an amnesty should be able to send only for a spouse and minor children, not for the rest of their family.
The two amnesty bills Pelosi is backing would give lifetime work permits to around 5 million foreign citizens and allow each to start migration chains in their families that eventually can include aunts, uncles, cousins and the extended family of every spouse of those relatives.
Our current TV ad helps explain that:
The chain migration provision in immigration law means that giving an amnesty to one person doesn't stop there. It starts chains of family migration that can last for decades. Foreign citizens in 2021 are still getting into this country with green cards on family chains that were started with the first amnesty for illegal aliens in 1986!
Q5* For any illegal immigrants who get legal status, should they be allowed to send only for a spouse and minor children, or do you favor them also eventually bringing in other adult relatives in a process that can include extended family and spouses' families?
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66% You favor allowing only a spouse and minor children
22% You favor also eventually bringing in other adult relatives in a process that can include extended family and their spouses' families
12% Not sure
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AMNESTIES HAVE TO INCLUDE MANDATORY E-VERIFY
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Q3* If Congress does decide to legalize those illegal immigrants, should the legalization include a mandate for all employers to use the federal E-Verify system to keep U.S. jobs away from future illegal immigrants?
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61% Yes, include mandatory E-Verify
21% No, don't include mandatory E-Verify
19% Not sure
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Q4* If illegal immigrants are given legal status, should they get permanent work permits and a path to citizenship before E-Verify has been fully implemented or only after E-Verify has been fully implemented?
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29% Before E-Verify is fully implemented
55% Only after E-Verify is fully implemented
15% Not sure
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Q6* How long should any illegal immigrant have lived in the United States to qualify for lifetime work permits and path to citizenship?
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16% No amount of time qualifies
20% More than twenty years
21% Ten years
24% Five years
8% Since Jan. 1 of this year
11% Not sure
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Only 8% agree with an amnesty for people who came as recently as the two months after Joe Biden was elected President. Interestingly, Jan. 1 of this year is the cutoff date for Biden's giant amnesty legislation. His recent cutoff undercuts one of the prime debating points of amnesty advocates that an amnesty is deserved because the illegal aliens have lived in the United States so long that they really don't know their home country. Most voters (57%) apparently think an amnesty should at least live up to the pro-amnesty talking points and that, if there is an amnesty, it should not be for illegal aliens who have been in this country for fewer than 10 years -- let alone for people who arrived in the heat of last year's presidential campaign and its aftermath.
ROY BECK as Founder & CEO of NumbersUSA
