Poll: Voters split on immigration priorities
American voters are still divided over the top priority in dealing with the issue of illegal immigration. While 43 percent say it’s securing the border, almost as many — 41 percent — think it’s more important to deal with illegal immigrants already in the country, according to a Fox News poll released Monday.
Views today are virtually unchanged from two years ago. At that time, 43 percent of voters said secure the border first, while 42 percent said focus on undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S. (March 2011).
Despite illegal immigration being a hot topic in Washington, it is not only low on the list of things worrying voters, but also, concern has decreased significantly over the past three years. Some 60 percent say they are extremely or very concerned about the issue, down from 71 percent in 2010. Far more voters are concerned about everything from the economy (89 percent concerned), health care (85 percent), and education (85 percent) to government spending (84 percent), the job market (84 percent) and the federal deficit (80 percent).
Blowback
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The big thing that gets me about immigration is this. These politicians are supposed to be our representatives. As our representatives, they should take our needs into consideration before any others. But they are taking the desires and wants of illegal aliens above ours when they promote a path to citizenship and an unfettered border.
astonerii on February 12, 2013 at 8:32 AM
Democrats are hoping to use the post-election “honeymoon period” to achieve their priorities, regardless of their actual popularity, or lack thereof.
This gun-control push is more about neutralizing the NRA for future elections than any groundswell in popularity for taking guns away. Most people are like us, “Why take my guns away, and not lock up the dangerously psychotic?”
Immigration reform right now is about getting Republicans to fight, and trying to get as much voter-wise out of the illegals who are already here and arriving. This is completely unrelated to what polls might be saying now.
Sekhmet on February 12, 2013 at 8:35 AM
Maybe it wouldn’t move the needle, but I think we’d see more of a 60-40 split on this if the damn GOP members of Congress were harping on the national security concerns and other considerable downsides of no border security and amnesty.
BuckeyeSam on February 12, 2013 at 8:52 AM
If they were facing angry mobs when visiting their districts things would be different, but they aren’t and they won’t.
claudius on February 12, 2013 at 9:54 AM
We are a nation of laws…when you start the conversation with: “illegal immigration” you lost. We have legal immigration and we have illegal aliens.
Lesson over.
trs on February 12, 2013 at 10:45 AM