Exit Poll Shows Strong Support for Immigration Enforcement, Not Amnesty

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Voters returned President Obama to office in yesterday's election, but also made clear that in doing so, they did not endorse his immigration policy.

Exit polling, commissioned by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), indicates that Americans support strong enforcement of U.S. immigration laws and reject amnesty as a viable solution to illegal immigration. The poll, conducted by The Polling Company, of 800 actual voters nationwide, found that 52 percent want immigration laws strengthened, compared with just 31 percent who support legalization of people here illegally.

The preference for enforcement over amnesty, coupled with the fact that the GOP maintained its majority in the House, also sends a clear message that Americans want Congress to act as a greater check on the executive branch. In short, Americans want Congress to reassert control over immigration policy and require the president to execute the laws as written, not he would like them to be written.

"The American people have given President Obama a second administration, but they have done so in spite of his refusal to enforce many immigration laws and his support for mass amnesty for illegal aliens," commented Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "It will be up to the new Congress to hold the president accountable and to work with him to implement policies that protect the interests of the American people.

"President Obama promised that he would work on immigration reform during the first year of his new administration. Instead of another protracted and fruitless struggle over amnesty as the centerpiece of immigration legislation, he and Congress must enact and implement policies where there is strong public consensus," continued Stein.

[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Helvetica]"This election has been about jobs and the economy. The first item of immigration business must be passage and implementation of legislation requiring every employer to use the E-Verify system to make sure that American jobs are filled by legal U.S. workers," Stein said. "Polling conducted on election night, like polls conducted over many years, indicate that Americans favor policies that discourage illegal immigration and oppose policies that reward illegal immigration. Even among Latino voters, the primary concerns are jobs and the economy, with immigration policy coming far down their list of priorities over the next four years."

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Exit Poll Shows Strong Support for Immigration Enforcement, Not Amnesty -- WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --