I’m not going to take a side on immigration, having both conflicting instincts and wounds from my own experience, but it doesn’t take more than a couple of mouse clicks to see some recent poll numbers. These are from December 2005, a USA Today/Gallup poll:
57% think it extremely or very important the President and Congress deal with immigration this year.
62% think it extrememly or very important they deal with illegal immigration.
51% want immigration numbers decreased vs 15% wanting them increased.
52% think immigrants hurt the economy (thanks, guys) vs 42% thinking they help. Those numbers change to 60% vs 32% when it comes to illegal immigration.
Looks pretty clear to me that most Americans are worried about immigration per se and not just illegal immigration. Immigration proponents still have a lot to do to persuade people even of the most basic economic arguments for immigration.
As we have decided that this is the Oxford Union, I’m backing Stuttaford for President. There will be a furtive faction meeting in the Gladstone Room soon at which we’ll discuss how to stab people in the back. Ah, the memories.