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Poll: Immigration top issue for most
Majority of voters back 'tough but fair' path to citizenship
By Myung Oak Kim, Rocky Mountain News
September 18, 2006
Nearly two of every three Colorado voters think illegal immigrants should be allowed to become U.S. citizens if they pay taxes, learn English and meet other requirements, according to a new Rocky Mountain News/CBS 4 poll.
Only 15 percent of those polled favor mass deportations.

"People want to be tough but fair," said pollster Lori Weigel. "It's like many issues. You tend to hear from extremes on both ends. Clearly, this data indicate that there's a silent majority that is supportive of a more middle-ground approach."

A top concern

Still, the poll found that illegal immigration remains a top concern among the state's voters and will be a key issue in the governor's race.

The poll respondents cited illegal immigration and the economy as their biggest concerns. And those most worried about immigration heavily favor Republican candidate Bob Beauprez over Democrat Bill Ritter, by a margin of 36 percentage points.

Based on the poll results, Beauprez will clearly want to focus his campaign on immigration, said political consultant David Kenney.

"It'll be interesting to see how he takes advantage of it, though. At the same time he raises it, he'll have to defend his record in Congress on this issue."

The immigration issue is expected to dominate the political agenda, at least for the near future.

"Voters clearly see that there's more to do on this issue," said Kenney.

Nearly half of the likely voters polled last week said illegal immigration hurts the state more than it helps. But 61 percent said they support an earned citizenship approach, allowing illegal immigrants to stay in the country and eventually become citizens if they meet certain requirements.

The poll findings are based on statewide telephone interviews of 500 registered voters who said they are likely to vote in November. It was conducted Sept. 10 through Sept. 12 by Weigel of Public Opinion Strategies, a firm that generally polls for Republican candidates. Kenney of The Kenney Group, a firm that typically works with Democratic candidates, consulted on the questionnaire and the analysis.

The sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.38 percentage points.

Rash of legislation

The illegal immigration issue exploded in Colorado early this year and has not calmed since.

Concern over reform proposals in Congress prompted two of the largest marches ever seen in Denver. An estimated 50,000 immigrants and their supporters marched to Civic Center Park on March 25 and about 75,000 marched on May 1.

Gov. Bill Owens called a special legislative session on immigration after the state Supreme Court disqualified a proposed ballot measure known as Initiative 55, which sought to deny government services to illegal immigrants. Owens accused the court of playing politics and dragging its feet on the decision.

During a five-day special session in July, state lawmakers passed a package of bills, including the landmark House Bill 1023, which requires government agencies to go through a three-step verification process to ensure that applicants for many government benefits are here legally. It is considered one of the toughest anti-illegal immigration laws in the country.

Since spring, state lawmakers passed an unprecedented 17 immigration laws. Pro-immigrant activists are closely watching the impact of Senate Bill 90, which, among other things, directs law enforcement to notify immigration agents after most arrests of suspected illegal immigrants.

Last week's poll indicates that illegal immigration hits home most among Republicans.

Thirty-one percent of Republicans said illegal immigration would be the most important issue in their vote for governor, compared will 8 percent of Democrats and 19 percent of independents.

Ed Marynowski, 51, of Colorado Springs, chose illegal immigration as his top issue because "it's destroying our economy."

Marynowski wants the government to enforce existing laws on immigration, target employers and create ways to deter illegal immigrants from entering the country.

He said he favors Republicans on this issue because "they have a stronger stance."

The typical voter who listed illegal immigration as the top issue this election is a suburban, white, Republican man without a college degree.

The issue also resonates among Hispanic voters. Of those polled, 15 percent said illegal immigration is their top concern. Overall, it ranked third among Hispanics, behind health care and education.

Little impact from laws seen

While a wide range of voters want government to take more action on the immigration problem, they are not impressed with the laws passed by the legislature during the July special session.

Three of four voters polled said they believe the laws will have little or no impact on the illegal immigration problem a year from now.

Robert Pollock, 69, of Loveland, said immigration is "primarily a federal responsibility."

"That problem belongs to George Bush and he's proven that he can't protect the border. It's a federal problem and the federal government should fix it."

Anti-illegal immigrant activist Fred Elbel, co-chairman of Defend Colorado Now, said the lack of confidence in the new state laws is tied to frustration over perceived inaction in Washington.

"People in general have seen the failings at the federal level," Elbel said. "Laws are on the books but they are not enforced. People are generally anticipating the same failure to enforce our laws at the state level."

But pro-immigrant activist Fidel "Butch" Montoya said the new laws already are having a devastating effect on the economy and cited recent reports that farmers are losing millions of dollars because they don't have enough workers to harvest their crops.

kimm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2361