The Contradictory Attitudes of Americans Toward Immigration

In a recent post, I referred to “that infamous tool of totalitarianism — the public-opinion poll.” My point was that many Americans seem to think that civil rights are subject to some kind of popularity contest.

I could have added that polls are notorious for presenting a myopic snapshot of an ever-fickle populace. As such, yesterday’s strong opinion becomes today’s “just kidding.” And of course, Americans are well known for adopting contradictory opinions.

For example, we’ve heard that most Americans support SB 1070 and Arizona’s attempts to become its own little adorable police state. And we don’t need an opinion poll to tell us that undocumented immigrants are among the nation’s least favorite residents.

So it appears to be settled. Most Americans want every undocumented person out of the country, at once if not sooner — right?

Well, wait a minute. Another poll, by First Focus, has shown that a whopping 70% of Americans support the Dream Act, the congressional bill that would give undocumented students a pathway to citizenship. As I wrote here, simple-minded politics has held up this piece of legislation. Most Americans, it seems, have no issue with undocumented students becoming full-fledged citizens.

But what about those undocumented immigrants who aren’t fortunate enough to be young and primed for college? Surely, most Americans want them deported before they can, you know, steal all our jobs and stuff.

Well, a Washington Post poll says that a majority (57%) supports a pathway for all undocumented individuals. This is a direct rebuke to right-wingers who claim such a proposal is “amnesty.”

In fact, the idea to provide a pathway to citizenship is even more popular in Arizona. Lake Research Partners has found that, of people in that state who support SB 1070, a mind-boggling 84% support helping the undocumented become legal. This percentage is so high that I have to wonder if the pollsters got a lot of retired Arizonians on the phone who couldn’t hear the questions. Regardless, it is telling that, even in the most hostile state in the country for undocumented people, many Americans are open to ideas other than “kick ‘em all out.”

In essence, many Americans seem to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to undocumented individuals, only to see their mindset shift when presented with an alternative. These results are just a glimpse at the complicated relationship that Americans have long had with immigration.

We don’t want them here. But we love the cheap labor they provide.

We believe America is the land of opportunity. But we don’t like so many people coming over to explore that idea.

We want to send them packing. We want to help them succeed.

Who knows what tomorrow’s opinion polls will reveal?

Photo Credit: Shadow Cat