Thread: Minority groups challenge CIS report on immigration issues

Minority groups challenge CIS report on immigration issues in U.S.

14:16, February 28, 2010

Minority groups in the U.S. challenge a report on minority voters' views on immigration issued by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), as it is flawed and not reflective of American interests and values.

Angelica Salas, executive director for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), said on Friday in a statement the CIS report on minority views on immigration "is a hodgepodge of leading questions that distort reality and offer no serious, practical solution to illegal immigration in the U.S."

She said in comparison, at least 12 national polls conducted between September 2008 and December 2009 showed a clear majority of likely voters of all political persuasions in support of a tough, fair, and practical approach to immigration. In addition, polls showed a large majority of respondents were interested in mass deportations as a viable solution.

"There is no doubt the immigration issue is complex. This is why ethnic minorities, as well as the majority of Americans, are very concerned about the lack of movement of the Congress in fixing this problem. The economic crisis we face compounds the need for serious solutions," Salas said in the statement.

"The CIS survey takes advantage of the current anxiety over our nation's future and pits Americans versus immigrants who are here legally and illegally. What the survey fails to offer is real alternatives that have been shown to get bipartisan support in Congress, including a program that requires unauthorized immigrants to come forth, register, learn English, pay a fine, and pay taxes like everyone else," she continued.

"When confronted with desperate times and disparate ideas such as mass deportations, Americans may be tempted to choose easy fixes, even if ineffective. When offered a menu of sensible options, however, Americans have shown they were willing to dialogue and compromise. We are confident that reason will triumph over knee-jerk reactions," Salas concluded.

Fatma Marouf, immigration attorney and member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told Xinhua that the results of a survey appear internally inconsistent in ways that reflect the distorting effect of how questions are framed.

For example, she said, the survey found that 54 percent of Hispanics, 49 percent of African-Americans, and 54 percent of Asian-Americans support allowing illegal immigrants to stay here legally and be put on a path to citizenship if they pay a fine, study English, and undergo a background check.

Moreover, 3 percent of Hispanics, 8 percent of African-Americans, and 5 percent of Asian-Americans said they were "not sure" about this issue, indicating that they might be open to creating a path to citizenship with certain conditions.

Yet, in response to another question that presented two extreme ways of dealing with illegal immigrants -- enforcing the law and causing them to return home over time, or granting legal status and a pathway to citizenship to most illegal immigrants -- only 34 percent of Hispanics, 30percent of African-Americans and 29 percent of Asian-Americans supported the latter choice, said Marouf

Steven A. Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, said a new survey found that minority voters' views were more complex. The minorities, particularly Hispanics, favored increased immigration and legalization for illegal immigrants.

The significant majorities of all three groups hold that the current level of immigration is too high. These views are in sharp contrast to the leaders of most ethnic advocacy organizations, who argue for increased immigration and legalization of illegal immigrants.

The survey also found that most members of minority groups did not feel that illegal immigration was caused by limits on legal immigration as many ethnic advocacy groups argued, instead, they felt it was due to a lack of enforcement.


http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001 ... 04365.html

Like with a number of religious groups, the views of the leaders of these secular ethno-centric special interest groups seem to diverge pretty widely from those of their "rank-and-file" members (to use a union phrase, since the SIEU evidently is so deeply involved with this Administration and the push for amnesty now).

Please see also:

Poll Reveals Business Leaders and Union Members Favor Enforcement Over Amnesty
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-187333.html

Poll: Most Christians, Jews at Odds With Leaders over Illegal Immigration
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-183511.html

I would like just one of these people to explain to me how making 30 million illegal aliens citizens will do anything other than make them legal to take American jobs, and legally qualify them for every social program America has, including our already broke SS department?

Hellooooo just look what the last 2 amnestys brought us....your solution just does not fly!

Yet, in response to another question that presented two extreme ways of dealing with illegal immigrants -- enforcing the law and causing them to return home over time,

This shows the writers bias, enforcing our immigration laws for the benefit of Americans are considered "extreem".