http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.c ... emID/11641

No Special Treatment for Mexicans, Say Americans
April 23, 2006
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Adults in the United States reject making it easier for illegal immigrants from a particular country to achieve legal status, according to a poll by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News. 90 per cent of respondents think illegal immigrants from Mexico should not be given special treatment.

Last month, the Pew Hispanic Center calculated the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States at somewhere between 11.5 million to 12 million. 71 per cent of respondents think the phrases "illegal immigrants" and "undocumented workers" describe the same group of people.

In December 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that calls for the construction of a new 1,100 kilometre fence on the U.S.-Mexico border. The proposal also seeks to make it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally or to help an undocumented person stay in the country.

On Apr. 6, several senators announced a compromise package that would place illegal immigrants in three different groups depending on the amount of time they have spent in the U.S. The plan, called the "roots concept" by Republican lawmakers, would favour persons who have lived in the U.S. for more than five years. The proposal was not ratified before a two-week congressional break.

Last month, in an interview with the BBC, Mexican president Vicente Fox discussed immigration policies in the United States, and declared, "I daresay that in 10 years, the U.S. will be begging, will be pleading with Mexico to send it workers, and Mexico won’t do it because it will have its people employed (in Mexico)." 91 per cent of respondents think the United States has the right to control immigration by restricting who and how many people can move to the country.

Polling Data

Do you think illegal immigrants from Mexico should be given special treatment and allowed to jump in front of immigrants from other countries that want to come to the United States legally, or not?

Yes 4%

No 90%

Don’t know 6%



Do you think there is a difference between immigrants who are described as "illegal immigrants" and those that are described as "undocumented workers," or do the two phrases describe the same group of people?

Different groups 21%

Same group 71%

Don’t know 8%



Do you think the United States has the right to control immigration by restricting who and how many people can move to this country, or do you think people should be able to move to the United States without restriction?

Has the right to control immigration 91%

Borders should be open 7%

Don’t know 3%



Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters, conducted on Apr. 18 and Apr. 19, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.