Americans Favor Tough Approach to Illegal Immigration

For Immediate Release: April 22, 2003 (Get PDF version)

Americans Favor Tough Approach to Illegal Immigration

Detention and Fines Seen as Necessary to Deter Immigration Law Violators

(Washington, DC; 4/22/03) -- A new national opinion poll finds that Americans believe it is necessary to take a hard line against those who break U.S. immigration laws. While polls have confirmed for years that Americans want significant reductions in legal immigration levels, and vigorous enforcement of laws against illegal immigration, the RoperASW March poll finds that Americans are willing to hold illegal immigrants personally accountable for their actions, and to penalize those who do not obey immigration laws. On current legal immigration:

More than three in four Americans want to see overall immigration levels reduced from the current one million per year;
Two-thirds supporting fewer than 300,000 immigrants per year;

The poll, conducted by RoperASW on behalf of Negative Population Growth, and released by the United To Secure America coalition (www.secureamerica.info), found that illegal immigration is seen as a "serious problem" by 85 percent of American adults. These numbers are consistent with nearly all opinion polls conducted on these issues. However, in addition to stepped-up law enforcement, an overwhelming majority of Americans believe that it is necessary to impose tough penalties, including incarceration, on illegal aliens.

In addition to deportation, 83 percent of respondents also favored "mandatory detention and forfeiture of property" for people who are found to be living here illegally. Seventy percent said they would also support mandatory prison sentences for immigration law violations, in addition to property forfeiture and deportation.

The poll also found support among the American public for cooperation between state and local entities and the federal government in pursuit of meaningful immigration enforcment. The poll found:

88 percent support a law requiring state and local government agencies to notify the INS and local law enforcement when they determine "a person is here illegally, or has presented a false identification document."
85 percent support a law requiring local law enforcement and government agencies to "apprehend and turn over illegal immigrants" they encounter.

The public also expresses concern about the proliferation of false documents and the ease by which illegal aliens, and would-be terrorists, can obtain identification documents. A large majority agree that Congress should pass laws requiring a document verification check with federal authorities when seeking the following services or procedures:

Checking an applicants' eligibility to legally work in the U.S. (79% agree)
Applying for a driver's license (82% agree)
Opening a bank account (75% agree)
Enrolling in school or college for oneself or a child (73% agree)

The entire poll can be found online at www.secureamerica.info. For more information, or comments, please contact Dan Stein, United to Secure America Coalition @ ; Don Mann, Negative Population Growth @ or Geoff Feinberg, RoperASW @.

These findings are drawn from a nationally representative survey of 1,012 American adults (18+) conducted by RoperASW on behalf of Negative Population Growth. All interviews were conducted by telephone from March 7-9, 2003. The maximum margin of error at a 95% confidence level is within +/-3 percentage points for the total sample of 1.012 respondents. Completed interviews were weighted by age, sex, income, and region to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the target population.