Thread: More see immigration as a cultural threat

Nov. 17, 2007, 1:33AM
Houston Area Survey

More see immigration as a cultural threat

Most of region's whites also want those who hire undocumented workers punished

An anti-illegal immigrant sentiment is taking hold in the Houston region, according to a new Rice University survey showing that most white residents in Fort Bend, Galveston and Montgomery counties favor punishing employers who hire undocumented workers.

The survey, released Thursday, reflects how contentious the illegal immigration debate has become and provides a fresh glimpse into regional attitudes about a subject that's increasingly becoming a major presidential election issue.

The report is an extension of the 2007 Houston Area Survey released earlier this year that showed immigration support eroding among Harris County residents, where whites make up 37 percent of the population.

"Anglos who live in predominantly Anglo areas are less likely to interact and meet minorities," said Stephen Klineberg, the Rice University sociology professor who has directed the annual survey for 26 years. "And they have more reservations about ethnic diversity."

For the first time, Klineberg expanded his survey to Galveston, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties. Only the responses of white residents were used in questions about immigrants, Klineberg said, because the non-Anglo percentages in the four counties varied widely.

The survey found 57 percent of Montgomery County respondents and 59 percent in mainland Galveston County believe the immigrant influx "mostly threatens American culture."

In addition, 73 percent of whites in mainland Galveston and Montgomery County favor fines and criminal charges against employers who hire illegal immigrants.


Backlash in suburbs
A similar vein runs through the other counties: In Harris, 69 percent of whites support punishing employers. In Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, 72 percent say they want the government to hit illegal-immigrant-heavy companies with fines and charges.

"Immigration is a good thing — illegal immigration is a bad thing," said Stan Burton, a Spring resident and blogger who is concerned about Social Security fraud, among other things. "My daughter is 13 years old and somebody else is already using her Social Security number — I learned about it when my daughter started getting pre-approved credit card applications."

Burton fears American society will become no different from Mexico's. "Our society will no longer be governed by the rule of law," he said.

Miguel Aleman believes the opinions of Burton and others like him are misguided.

"I think this is mostly lip service," said Aleman, 60, president of the League of Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, who lives in Galveston. "The national trend is Hispanics are being bashed for all the problems in society, but the fact is immigrants are needed here."

Lisa Graybill, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Texas chapter, says the conservative rhetoric is nothing new. It has held a grip on places such as Farmers Branch, a community north of Dallas that adopted a law banning apartment owners from renting to illegal immigrants. The ACLU is suing to overturn the ban.

"The moving out of Latino immigrants into the suburbs is creating a backlash," Graybill said. "We do have to acknowledge that there are problems — complicated problems — surrounding immigration, but these type of answers are not good policy for anybody."

Statistics show that indeed there has been a Latino explosion in the suburbs. In Montgomery County, the Hispanic population grew to 66,000 in 2006 from 37,000 in 2000, according to Census Bureau data.


Path to citizenship
Conroe City Councilman Jay Ross Martin said the survey responses likely mirror how people in rural areas of Montgomery County feel about illegal immigration.

People are frustrated with the federal government because it hasn't resolved the immigration debate, he said, but Conroe is not planning any immigration enforcement measures.

The survey, however, does show whites are open to a path of legalization. More than 62 percent of the Anglos in Galveston, Harris and Fort Bend counties agreed that illegal immigrants should be granted citizenship if they speak English and have no criminal records. In Montgomery County, however, only 48 percent of the whites were for that idea. And more than 58 percent of whites in Galveston, Fort Bend and Harris counties said ethnic diversity is a "good thing," the survey shows.

"The experience of living in a more diverse community may increase one's feelings of comfort with the diversity," Klineberg said. "It's surprising how big the difference is."

METHODOLOGY

The 2007 Houston Area Survey of 656 randomly chosen Harris County residents was conducted Feb. 13 through Feb. 27 by the University of Houston Center for Public Policy. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
The Galveston surveys were conducted during May and June, reaching representative samples of 277 respondents from Galveston Island and 323 from the mainland Galveston County. The surveys of 303 Fort Bend County residents and 304 Montgomery County residents were conducted in July. The margin of error for those surveys is plus or minus 5 percentage points.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5309623.html

Originally Posted by butterbean

"Anglos who live in predominantly Anglo areas are less likely to interact and meet minorities," said Stephen Klineberg, the Rice University sociology professor who has directed the annual survey for 26 years. "And they have more reservations about ethnic diversity."

Oh, brother...

They are always trying to demonize "Anglo" white males.

If there is anyone who is being victimized it is us. Everyone hates Americans, including the illegals that are taking over our country.

In an article I posted elsewhere here, it was pointed out that there are real reasons to object to mass immigration that have nothing to do with racism. Like, what we can plainly see it doing to our labor pool.