Two separate polls were conducted this week regarding the Senate immigration bill, one conducted by the Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg, the other byRasmussen Reports.

On one website we find the sub headline which reads “A poll finds 63% of all respondents, and 65% of Republicans, back the controversial measure.”, while the other proclaims “Just 20% of American voters want Congress to try and pass the immigration reform bill that failed in the Senate last week”. The primary difference between these two polls is the questions which are asked. One poll asked the question

“Should Senate Try and Pass the Same Immigration Bill Again?”,

while the other asked

“One proposal would allow undocumented immigrants who have been living and working in the United States for a number of years, and who do not have a criminal record, to start on a path to citizenship by registering that they are in the country, paying a fine, getting fingerprinted, and learning English, among other requirements. Do you support or oppose this, or haven’t you heard enough about it to say?”

Which of the above two questions do you feel more accurately would describe the public opinion on the actual bill the Senate rejected? The LA Times question presented to those polled is filled with propaganda and misleading statements while the Rasmussen poll offers a direct question.

The LA Times leads those being questioned to believe that the Senate bill would not allow those with a criminal background to gain Z visa, when the exact opposite is true. As I wrote this morning, an amendment which would have prevented felons from obtaining visas was defeated! I wonder if this rejected amendment was the “proposal” the Times was referring to?

I also do not recall seeing in the Senate bill a clause which states the illegal immigrant needed to be living and working here for ‘number of years’ as the Times portrays. The immigration bill rejected by the Senate offered Z visas to all immigrants in the country prior to January 1, 2007.

The Times also leaves those questioned with the impression that immigration bill required the immigrant to learn English. The English requirements in fact has nothing to do with the Z visa, which would be issued 24 hours after the application is filed (and prior to the completion of a background check). The English requirement is part of the citizenship process which was in place well before the drafting of this bill.

I have seen a number of articles recently which used the LA Times poll as proof the American people are in favor of the immigration bill the Senate drafted. The LA Times however did not ask the people about the rejected bill, it appears they were asking Americans if they would support a hypothetical bill that has yet to be presented for a vote. When asked directly “Should Senate Try and Pass the Same Immigration Bill Again?” Only 20% of Americans agree with President Bush.

Sphere: Related Content

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Congress, Immigration