Los Angeles – A majority of people who described themselves as legal immigrants for a poll released Tuesday said they believe anti-immigration sentiment is growing and are alarmed by the tone of the debate over reform.
Just under one-third of them said Congress and President Bush are doing a good job on the issue.
The poll was conducted by the firm Bendixen & Associates between Feb. 24 and March 21. Researchers said they interviewed 800 people who described themselves as legal immigrants in 47 states and who were reached by random-digit dialing in communities with large numbers of immigrants. The said the margin of error was plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
When told about reform proposals in Congress, 68 percent of poll respondents said they supported temporary work permits for illegal immigrants and a way for them to apply for residency after learning English and paying a fine.
That seems to conflict with arguments by some lawmakers who argue that a legalization program would be unfair to legal residents who played by the rules.
“Nobody comes here to get on welfare,” said Perias Pillay, 43, who was 18 when he immigrated legally from Malaysia. He joined a massive immigration rally in Los Angeles. “They come here to work, and as long as we need workers we should let them come.”
The poll was commissioned by New America Media, a nonprofit San Francisco-based umbrella organization for more than 700 ethnic media outlets.
More than 60 percent of those interviewed said they were alarmed by the tone of the immigration reform debate. Sixty-seven percent said they believed anti-immigration sentiment was growing.
Asked about lawmakers’ handling of immigration issues, 32 percent said Congress and President Bush were doing a good job.
On jobs, 81 percent said illegal immigrants accept low-end jobs that Americans don’t want, and 73 percent said illegal immigrants aided the economy by supplying low-cost labor.
