60% of Hispanic Voters Favor Enforcement Before Amnesty
A new poll conducted by pollster John McLaughlin has found that 60% of Hispanic voters support amnesty only after the goal of stopping 90% of future illegal immigration has been achieved. Only 34% of Hispanic voters said they support an amnesty first plan similar to the Senate-passed S.744.
A recent analysis of the Congressional Budget Office of the Senate-passed version of S.744, including the Corker-Hoeven border amendment, found that the proposal would only reduce current illegal immigration levels by about one-third and only after 11 illegal aliens were granted legal status and work permits.
The McLaughlin poll also found:
- By a margin of 56 percent to 40 percent, Hispanic voters oppose allowing illegal immigrants to obtain federal benefits, including Obamacare benefits, "while they are going through the legalization process and before the 90% goal is reached."
- When asked to choose which of four issues -- the economy, immigration reform, education, or health care -- is most important to them, registered Hispanic voters said immigration reform was their lowest priority. Just 31 percent ranked the issue first or second, compared with 62 percent for the economy, 57 percent for health care, and 45 percent for education. Non-registered voters, on the other hand, ranked immigration reform as their highest priority.
- Generally speaking, registered Hispanic voters were far more likely to support tougher security and enforcement measures than non-registered voters. For example, 64 percent of registered voters said they supported employment verification to determine if job applicants are lawful residents, compared with just 46 percent of non-registered voters. Additionally, 55 percent of registered voters backed increased border-security measures (fencing, drones, police, etc.), compared with 45 percent of non-registered voters.
- The Republican party definitely has problems with Hispanic voters. For example, 65 percent of voters said they think the GOP discriminates against Hispanics, and 62 percent said they don't think the GOP "cares about people like you." Fifty-nine percent said they think Republicans want to stop immigration because they want to keep Hispanics out of the country.
- However, only 29 percent of registered Hispanic voters said they would never vote for a Republican member of Congress. Voters were split on whether they believed that "new forces" within the GOP, such as Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), are "fighting for immigration reform and fair treatment for Latinos" (47 percent), or whether the GOP "is the same old Republican Party and is as prejudiced as always against Latinos" (42 percent).
For more information, see the National Review.