Thread: 60 percent in Florida say legalize immigrants

Who would have thought..........

Posted on Mon, Jun. 11, 2007

IMMIGRATION POLL
60 percent in Florida say legalize immigrants


Ofelia Aguilar, center, surrounded by her four American-born children, listens as immigration issues are discussed Sunday in Homestead.

Three in five likely Florida voters say they back legalizing millions of undocumented immigrants largely along the lines of a controversial measure now stalled in the U.S. Senate.

The findings of the Zogby International statewide poll, conducted for The Miami Herald and WFOR-CBS4 in association with The Palm Beach Post and WPEC-CBS 12, mirror other polls' national results. The Senate compromise measure crashed into a wall of opposition raised by liberals and conservatives who dislike parts of the bipartisan bill for different reasons.

The poll's findings come as President Bush scrambles to try to get the support of Republican senators who view the measure as undeserved amnesty for the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.

On Tuesday, Bush will meet with conservative Republican senators in an attempt to persuade them that the bill is tough on border enforcement and far from amnesty. It would extract heavy fines and long waits for immigrants to legalize their status.

Some of those requirements -- among them fines of $5,000 and a proposed point system that puts the nation's employment needs above family unification for immigrants -- are opposed by Democrats, who say the fines are too hefty and the waits too long.

In Florida, however, there's strong support for the Senate bill from voters of every political persuasion, race and ethnic group.

John Zogby, president of Zogby International, joked that Florida is not a ''Lou Dobbsian state,'' a reference to CNN host Lou Dobbs, who has become a leading opponent of illegal immigration.

BLACK VOTERS

Zogby said one of the surprising results was that a majority of black likely voters contacted statewide expressed support for legalization, even taking into account the margin of error of eight percentage points for that subgroup. As the debate has unfolded, some black leaders have voiced concern that foreign workers might take jobs and depress wages for blacks.

The statewide poll of 801 likely voters, conducted June 4-6, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Zogby also oversampled in South Florida, polling 407 likely voters in Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach counties, and those findings have a margin of error of five percentage points.

In South Florida, 61 percent of all likely voters polled agreed that immigration revisions should include a path to citizenship for most illegal immigrants who have no criminal record, pay a $5,000 fine and wait their turn behind legal immigrants to apply for permanent U.S. residency. Statewide, 60 percent agreed.

''I don't think anybody should be excluded,'' said one voter polled, Luis Torres, a 35-year-old Miami resident born in Chicago of a Cuban mother and an Ecuadorean father. ``We all came from somewhere.''

Two in five of those polled in Florida and almost half of voters contacted in South Florida took issue with another feature in the bill that would give preference to skilled foreign immigrants over those with extended U.S. families. They prefer that immigrants with U.S. family ties remain a priority.

The Senate bill would enable undocumented immigrants, including about one million in Florida, to obtain a Z visa, which after several years would allow them to apply for residency and eventually citizenship.

Asked if undocumented workers take jobs that no one else wants, 58 percent statewide and 54 percent in South Florida said they agreed or strongly agreed.

Ilene Schlesinger, a former office manager who lives in Monroe County, said today's undocumented immigrants deserve a chance -- just as her grandparents had more than a half-century ago.

Schlesinger said her grandparents arrived illegally during World War II, fleeing from Nazi persecution in Poland and Hungary.

''They did not have proper papers, but they were able to escape the Holocaust that way,'' said Schlesinger, 53.

James Causa and Caridad Monzón, both Cuban Americans and longtime Miami residents, summed up the feelings of most Florida respondents about undocumented immigrants.

''They should be given a chance, as long as they don't have a criminal record and don't want to destroy the government,'' said Causa, a 74-year-old teacher. ``They gave it to me.''

IDENTIFY WITH THEM

Though Cubans qualify to stay under the Cuban Adjustment Act, Causa said he identified with undocumented immigrants because the visa he used to enter the United States in the 1960s was ``probably fake.''

Monzón, an 89-year-old retired seamstress, echoed Causa's position.

''They should legalize them because they come to this country to seek better opportunities that they don't have in their country,'' she said.

Monzón broke ranks with the majority who disagreed with the idea of giving priority to skilled immigrants -- even though she entered the United States in 1946 on an immigrant visa requested by a brother in New York.

''The ones with employment skills should be the priority because they are educated and they can contribute more to society,'' she said.

Not all immigrants or children of immigrants backed the legalization plan.

''I applied for a green card and waited years to get into the country,'' said Canadian-born Alfredo Ronca, a 44-year-old manager at an electronics company who lives in Pompano Beach.

''I don't have a problem with immigrants -- my parents were immigrants from Italy,'' he said. ``But if you are here illegally, that means you broke the law. I did everything legally, so why should we give them a free pass?''

Tony Samra, the child of a Central American father and an American mother, agreed.

''My father came to the United States in 1947 from Tegucigalpa, Honduras,'' said Samra, 58, a professor of computer science and information technology who lives in Delray Beach.

''He got in line and applied for an immigrant visa and went through the legal process, served in the Army . . . did everything by the book,'' he said. ``These people should do things properly, like my dad did.''

http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/135496.html

http://www.nclr.org/section/events/conference/

[quote]The 2007 NCLR Annual Conference will be held at the
Miami Beach Convention Center, July 21-24.


The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) is thrilled to hold this year’s Annual Conference in Miami, Florida! With the most recent U.S. Census polls reporting that more than 60% of Miami’s two million residents are Hispanic, Miami is the perfect venue for NCLR’s 2007 Annual Conference and Latino Expo USA.


This multicultural metropolis has it all – a thriving Latino community, a rich social and cultural life, a strong job market, top-notch universities, the highest Hispanic college enrollment in the nation, and a Hispanic political representation poised to put the interests of the American people first.


This “Magic Cityâ€

I think they must have polled Hispanics or asked questions that did not include the words illegal alien, illegal immigrant or undocumented person. They also must have went to Hialeah, Kendall or other highly Hispanic areas. I haven't or anyone I know for that matter have never been asked. These numbers are very interesting since on most blogs from the Sun Sentinel almost all people are against illegal immigration and are very vocal about it.
My statistics professor in university said that: "you can make a survey say what ever you want it to.

In Florida, however, there's strong support for the Senate bill from voters of every political persuasion, race and ethnic group.

What do you expect from a state which is home to Little Havana, Little El Salvador, Little Colombia, Little Equador, Little Chile, Little Argentina, Little Venesuela, Little Nicaragua, Little Hondourus, Little Mexico and Jeb Bush, Mel Martinez and Bill Nelson

Why do you think Floridians are leaving their state in unprecedented numbers and heading for Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina?

Almost all of the Americans have either left or are in the processs of leaving or are thinking about leaving. Those few Americans who are left or are not leaving have been beaten down for so many years that they've surrendered their language, their culture and their country. .

Consider Florida a lost cause. Over, done with, too late.

Forget Florida. Put it out of your mind. You do not need Disney World, there are plenty of better places to go in other states that are probably much better, Besides, I bet there's a lot of TB cases walking around at at Disney.

Just plain and simply....forget Florida. No more, all gone, bye-bye.

You knew it was happening for a long time. Now it has happened. Don't be surprised.

Didn't they say 60% supported . That is the 60% that is hispanic.

[quote]This “Magic Cityâ€

Manyhispanics in Fl have family that are boat people from cuba and as far as I believe have entered the country illegally. They know that once Americans fix the illegals we are going to relook at the cuban policy. We don't need to continue to support the world and take the blame for everything. Bush has done many things which doesn't help America in the world's opinion but we shouldn't pay for the world.

America is not the rich country that everyone believes it is, we just keep borrowing from other countries to keep up appearances. when you keep borrowing to pay for other countries and illegals you are not rich.

In South Florida, 61 percent of all likely voters polled agreed that immigration revisions should include a path to citizenship for most illegal immigrants who have no criminal record, pay a $5,000 fine and wait their turn behind legal immigrants to apply for permanent U.S. residency. Statewide, 60 percent agreed.

So, Zogby cooked the books. That isn't what this bill is about.

Excuse me, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to know exactly who they poled. I've always said if you know where to take the pole you can get the result you wanted to obtain!!

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WE NEED EVERYBODY CALLING, FAXING AND E-MAILING, AND POSTING SO WE KNOW WHAT YOUR HEARING. LET THEM KNOW U.S.CITIZENS HAVE COME OUT OF THE SHADOWS AND ARE SEEING THE LIGHT!!!!!!

Link to instrucions and posts
http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=F ... ic&t=67975

Link to Kates new Fax!!
http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=F ... ic&t=67814

I have friends who have recently left Florida. They could'nt make it down there because the wages are too low.

This will continue if we do not stop this immigration bill and DEMAND ENFORCEMENT OF OUR EXISTING LAWS!