From Deseret News archives:
Utahns want crackdown on illegal immigration
Some 70 percent of 409 registered voters said they'd be more likely to vote for candidates who advocate a tough stand on illegal immigration through new laws, according to a survey conducted by Dan Jones & Associates. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent.
Only 18 percent said they'd be less likely to vote for a get-tough candidate. Another 11 percent said they didn't know.
The results seem to indicate most people recognize a problem and want a solution, said Kirk Jowers, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics.
"I think what the question does not answer is what form that solution will take," he said. "Utahns have shown they are sympathetic to the children of illegal immigrants and giving them opportunities, but they certainly want people to abide by the law and favor legal immigrants over illegal immigrants."
When broken down along party lines, the strongest support for get-tough candidates was among Republicans, at 77 percent. But a majority of Democrats (56 percent) and independents (67 percent) also said they'd be more likely to vote for a get-tough candidate.
Pollster Dan Jones said the issue is a very complicated one that crosses party lines and is "a very emotional issue."
Jowers said the poll comes after federal lawmakers have continually failed to address the issue. In the meantime, some other states are starting to crack down. Jowers said that is creating a perception, which may or may not be true, that states that don't crack down will see an influx of illegal immigrants.
"It is a scary combination of federal inaction and public frustration with the immigration problem," he said. "The state is between a rock and a hard place."
Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble, R-Provo, said that for the past two years state lawmakers have been reluctant to act because of impending federal legislation. However, federal action now seems less likely.
"Do we need a comprehensive proposal addressing immigration? The answer is yes," Bramble said. "The federal government has passed on it.... I would hope we have the courage in the Legislature to address the issue, and address the issue in a fair and equitable way."
In Washington County, Sen. Bill Hickman, R-St. George, recently announced plans for an immigration measure modeled after one of the toughest such state measures in the country, and the Washington County Republican Women recently voted overwhelmingly to encourage such legislation.
