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JOHN L. SMITH: Illegal immigration out of sight, not out of mind of Nevada voters
Illegal immigration might have become a back-burner issue to some politicians, but a new poll shows the issue remains a hot topic with Southern Nevada voters.
A survey by Marvin Longabaugh of Magellan Research leaves little doubt where local voters stand: 79.2 percent of those recently polled believe illegal immigration is a "major problem." Just 16.2 percent call it a "minor problem." Along political lines, 87.8 percent of Republicans and 71 percent of Democrats surveyed said they believed it was a major problem. Back in April 2006, a Glen Bolger poll indicated that 62 percent of Nevadans were "very concerned" with the issue. It's easy to speculate that the rise in the poll is related to the worsening economy and the tightening job market. Those surveyed substantially favored building a 700-mile fence along the Mexico-U.S. border to help keep illegal aliens out, 62.2 percent to 31.7 percent. One area that might surprise even those who favor getting tough on immigration issues is the subject of recognizing English as our national language. It's not even close: 89.9 percent of voters favor making it official. Just 7.6 percent don't think it's necessary. Despite the apparent hard line, a majority of voters surveyed also endorse having illegals register with the government and start along a pathway to citizenship. In fact, 68 percent of those polled believe it's a good idea with 24.6 percent disagreeing. The immigration questions were part of a much larger poll conducted by Magellan on behalf of the Police Protective Association. The question is, will some politicians attempt to take advantage of that strong sentiment among voters in an election year that finds both major presidential candidates with measured approaches to the subject? |
