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John Daley ReportingSend them back or give illegal immigrants a chance to stay? A new poll by Dan Jones and Associates for KSL-TV and the Deseret Morning News finds a majority of Utahns seem to prefer the latter approach.
This new Dan Jones survey gave those polled a choice between those two options, and by a roughly two to one margin, Utahns support some path to legal status.
25-thousand plus rallying in downtown Salt Lake City, along with millions nationwide, propelled what was a mostly back-burner issue, marched to the top of the national agenda, says sociologist Theresa Martinez.
Theresa Martinez, Uni. of Utah Sociologist: "I really feel that if people are looking at this with perspective, they will look at that march and say 'We need to wake up and smell the enchilada.' I think Americans are coming to terms with the knowledge that their goods and services are lower cost because people are willing to come here from across the border and work for lower pay. And that's the reality."
A new KSL-TV/Deseret Morning News poll by Dan Jones of 421 Utahns finds 30% say they favor a get-tough law aimed at securing U.S. borders and forcing illegal immigrants out of the US and back to their country, where they may apply for US citizenship. (We should note a problem with the wording of that response, since a person cannot apply for citizenship unless they're already living in the U.S.)
58% support an approach that includes greater border security, but also allows most illegal aliens to work their way into U.S. citizenship or guest-worker status without having to leave the U.S.
5% support some other solution and 7% don't know.
Pollster Dan Jones says two things stick out to him.
Dan Jones , Pollster: "How polarized people are and the other is the low 'don't know.' That they really, really are starting to take a position."
Thesesa Martinez, Univ. of Utah Sociology Professor: "You can't use a person's labor and use them up as people and not pretty much create a servant class. Is that what we're saying, that we want a servant class. I don't think so."
Dan Jones says the immigration issue often doesn't even rate in the top ten of those Utahns are most concerned about, but in the last few weeks it has jumped into the top three.
