Poll Reveals South Dakotans Strongly Opposed to Senate Immigration Bill

Johnson, Thune Must Respect the Will of the Voters, Says FAIR

News provided by

Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)

Jun 19, 2013, 04:51 ET

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A statewide poll of likely South Dakota voters finds strong opposition to a bill before the U.S. Senate that would grant amnesty to 12 million illegal aliens and dramatically increase overall immigration to the United States. According to the poll, 60 percent of South Dakota voters oppose S.744, the Gang of Eight immigration bill – including 39 percent who said they are "strongly opposed." Only 31 percent of voters indicated that they support the bill and only 10 percent said they "strongly support" it.

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The poll also indicated that South Dakotans disagree strongly with the Gang of Eight's priorities. Under S.744, amnesty for illegal aliens would begin within six months of enactment, while the provisions of the bill promising enhanced immigration enforcement would not have to be implemented for a decade or more. Only 18 percent of South Dakota voters favor this approach, while 78 percent stated that border security, employment verification, or deportation of illegal aliens should be the "highest priorities" of an immigration overhaul.

The poll of 500 likely voters was conducted on June 12 and 13 by the national polling firm Pulse Opinion Research on behalf of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The poll has a margin of error of +/-4.5 percent.

In addition to widespread opposition to the legislation generally, the poll asked South Dakotans to register their opinions on specific provisions of the bill. The poll found:

72% oppose granting legal status to illegal aliens before a border security plan is fully implemented, and 34% of voters oppose granting amnesty under any circumstance.
74% oppose the discretionary authority given to DHS to legalize aliens with criminal records or gang affiliations, including 60% who "strongly oppose" those provisions.
70% oppose provisions in the bill that would significantly increase overall immigration to the U.S., including 49% who are "strongly opposed."
76% oppose the increases in guest workers authorized under the bill, including 53% who said the increases are "much too high."

"The Gang of Eight immigration bill currently being debated in the Senate has almost no support among the people of South Dakota, for very good reasons," observed Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "There is virtually nothing in the bill that would benefit South Dakota workers or taxpayers."

"It is clear that South Dakotans overwhelmingly reject the Senate's plan to grant unconditional amnesty to millions of illegal aliens and flood U.S. labor markets with millions of new foreign workers, while offering the American people worthless promises on border security and immigration enforcement," Stein continued.

"South Dakota lawmakers need to understand that their constituents are watching this debate and that they expect their representatives to defend their interests against efforts to undermine their economic security and the security of the nation. It could not be clearer: South Dakota voters strongly oppose almost every provision of S.744," Stein concluded.

The results of the poll of South Dakota voters, including the questions asked, can be found at www.fairus.org.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is a national, nonprofit, public-interest, membership organization of concerned citizens who share a common belief that our nation's immigration policies must be reformed to serve the national interest.

Visit FAIR's website at www.fairus.org.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)