Two-Thirds Of Americans Want Stricter Enforcement Of Immigration Laws

Two-thirds of Americans – 66 percent -- would rather see stricter enforcement of immigration laws than offering illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.

The poll asked voters: “Do you think immigration reform should primarily move in the direction of integrating illegal immigrants into American society or in the direction of stricter enforcement of laws against illegal immigration?”

Only 26 percent of Americans said they prefer the integration of illegal immigrants, while 66 percent want the laws to be more heavily enforced.

Passed on April 19, Arizona’s new immigration bill (SB 1070) institutes several regulations, including one making it a state violation for aliens to fail to carry an alien registration document. The law also contains provisions designed to halt businesses and others from hiring, transporting, harboring or concealing illegal immigrants.

In the same poll, Quinnipiac asked voters: “Based on what you’ve heard or read, do you approve or disapprove of Arizona’s new immigration law?”

The poll found that 51 percent approve of Arizona’s immigration law while 31 percent disapprove.

Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, classified the Arizona immigration law as a “major divide in the country” and said the “numbers are on the side of those supporting it.”

More