Thread: Black Virginians have even harsher views about illegals

Job issues, safety cited as concerns

By Ed Farrell
The Winchester Star

Winchester — Seventy-three percent of Virginians favor checks by police on the immigration status of people they encounter during routine activities such as traffic stops.

That is one of many conclusions from a survey conducted in June by George Mason University.

Another conclusion: black Virginians have even harsher views about illegal immigrants; as a group, blacks favor — more than whites — requiring the police checks. And black Virginians polled by the university were the most concerned ethnic subgroup when asked if undocumented immigrants take jobs away from American workers or lower the wages and salaries of Americans.

"African-Americans show the highest level of concern about the consequences of illegal immigration," the study concluded. "Thus blacks more frequently believe that illegal immigration will undercut the labor market position of American workers and hurt American wages and salaries."

Black Virginians also recorded the highest level of concerns that illegal immigration "may endanger national security."

The George Mason survey interviewed 1,072 "English-speaking adult Virginia residents" during a three-week period ending on June 8.

The data provide "a telling but complex picture of Virginians’ attitudes on this crucial social and economic issue," the report states.

Regarding black Virginians’ strong viewpoints in the survey, the report states that "African-Americans seem especially hesitant about the economic consequences of undocumented immigration, largely because they fear an erosion of their labor market conditions."

When asked if undocumented immigration takes jobs away from Americans, 56.3 percent of whites either somewhat or strongly agreed. Blacks recorded 66.4 percent in the same categories.

Just 20.4 percent of those identified as Latino answered that question with one of those choices.

When asked about the impact on wages and salaries, 58.2 percent of whites polled somewhat or strongly agreed that undocumented immigrants tended to lower the scale.

Among black respondents, however, 70.2 percent answered that they lowered pay for Americans.

More than one-third of the Latinos polled seemed to agree; 37.2 percent somewhat or strongly agreed with the question.

When asked if undocumented immigration "hurts American customs and way of life," 55.6 percent of whites somewhat or strongly agreed and 60.4 percent of blacks responded similarly.

When asked if undocumented immigration "increases the dangers of terrorism," 72.7 percent of blacks somewhat or strongly agreed.

Whites registered 66.3 percent, and 31.3 percent of Latinos agreed that illegal immigration heightened terrorism concerns.

The study also explored economic factors.

Respondents with annual incomes in the $25,000-$50,000 range registered the strongest concerns about Americans losing jobs, when compared with higher-income respondents.

A 46.6 percentage of workers earning $100,000-$150,000 responded that they felt a threat to American jobs; the number fell to 40.6 percent for those earning more than $150,000.

Virtually all income levels, however, favored routine police immigration checks.

Of those earning less than $25,000, 83.7 percent favored immigration checks by police, the highest level reported. The lowest response, 60.2 percent, was reported by those earning $100,000-$150,000, but even the top income level, $150,000 or higher, reported 72.5 percent in favor.

Similarly, education levels seem to affect respondents’ views.

Of those polled with less than a high school diploma, 64 percent somewhat or strongly agreed that illegal workers lowered American salaries.

The number increased to 64.7 percent for high-school graduates, but dropped to 48.3 percent among those holding some graduate or professional education.

The study also concludes that Virginians’ opinions differ sharply, depending on where they live.

"Different regions within the state ... see the question of immigration in very different terms," the study said.

Urban residents, it said, hold "relatively accommodating views on immigration, while "regions that are less urbanized and less affluent [such as the southern, southwestern and Piedmont sections] adopt significantly harsher views."

Shenandoah region respondents seemed to bear out that conclusion. When asked about a harming of American customs and way of life, 64.1 percent somewhat or strongly agreed.

Respondents from the Southside region responded more strongly, with 81.8 percent somewhat or strongly agreeing.

Similarly, when Shenandoah residents were asked if undocumented workers take jobs away from Americans, 64.2 responded favorably. In Southside, 82.6 responded similarly.

The George Mason study can be found online at cssr.gmu.edu.


http://www.winchesterstar.com/article_d ... icleID=500

Thank you for posting this ControlledImmigration.I still can't figure out how if the majority of legal residents and voters want something done/enforced that it just doesn't get done!
Virginia is taking a beating with this uncontrolled illegal immigration,I feel the "more educated/wealthier" people won't wake up until their exclusive neighborhoods and lifestyle go through the change that the lower and middle class ones are.




Head 'em up,move 'em out Rawhide!