http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/opinion/12483166.htm


Posted on Fri, Aug. 26, 2005


Differing views editorials

Star-Telegram


Common sense would dictate that among a population of 41.3 million people, differences of opinion would emerge, common heritage notwithstanding.

So the findings of a new survey on Latinos' attitudes about immigration should not surprise. Yet the basic conclusions bear repeating: Don't expect lock-step thinking, either on the extent of the illegal immigration problem or the merits of particular proposed solutions.

The survey, conducted in June by the Pew Hispanic Center, found that Latinos, both U.S. natives and those born elsewhere, rank immigration behind education, the economy, jobs and health care as important issues.

The survey also found that Latinos overall are more likely than the general U.S. population to consider immigrants an asset to the country because of their labors; a majority of Latinos disapprove of limiting driver's licenses to U.S. citizens; and more Latinos favor a proposal for permanent legalization of illegal immigrants than favor a temporary worker proposal.

But further study of the survey results shows something else:

When asked whether immigrants are a strength or a burden, 65 percent of Latinos born in the United States called them an asset, while 28 percent considered them a burden on employment, housing and health care. But among foreign-born Latinos, 89 percent considered immigrants a strength, 5 percent a burden.

When asked about the impact of illegal immigrants on the economy, 55 percent of native-born Latinos said they help by providing low-cost labor, but 34 percent said they drive wages down; 76 percent of foreign-born Latinos said they help, while 15 percent said they hurt.

Sixty percent of U.S.-born Latinos approve of limiting driver's licenses to U.S. citizens, while only 29 percent of foreign-born Latinos approve of that proposal.

The survey was based on questioning of a nationally representative sampling of 1,001 Latino adults, 37 percent of them born in the United States, and 79 percent of those registered voters.

"These findings clearly indicate that in a policy debate Latinos will not automatically or unanimously adopt what might be commonly perceived as a pro-immigrant position," the study concludes.

"The survey data also suggest that the distribution of views on a policy proposal among Latinos will be shaped by the proposal's merits, the persuasiveness of advocates for and against, as well as other factors in addition to Latinos' general attitudes toward migration."

And isn't that how it should be?