These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
54% Favor Justice Department Action Against Sanctuary Cities
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Fifty-four percent (54%) of U.S. voters say the Justice Department should take legal action against cities that provide sanctuary for illegal immigrants. Even more think the federal government should cut off funds to these "sanctuary cities."
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 30% say the federal government should not take legal action against cities that offer illegal immigrants various forms of sanctuary. Fifteen percent (15%) more are not sure.
The findings are in sharp contrast to voter attitudes about the Justice Department's decision to challenge a new law in Arizona that attempts to help enforce federal immigration law. Fifty-six percent (56%) oppose the Justice Department's decision to challenge the legality of Arizona's new immigration law in federal court . Sixty-one percent (61%), in fact, favor passage of a law like Arizona's in their own state.
Explaining why the Justice Department is pursing Arizona for aggressive enforcement of the law but not pursuing cities that break the law, a spokesperson for Attorney General Eric Holder recently told The Washington Times, "There is a big difference between a state or locality saying they are not going to use their resources to enforce a federal law, as so-called 'sanctuary cities' have done, and a state passing its own immigration policy that actively interferes with federal law."
But 61% of voters believe the federal government should cut off funds to cities that welcome illegal immigrants and offer them various forms of sanctuary, up slightly from August 2007 when Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney proposed such a cutoff. Twenty-six percent (26%) disagree and say the federal government should not cut funding to sanctuary cities. Thirteen percent (13%) are undecided.
When the question is expanded to state and federal funding of sanctuary cities, however, just 49% favor a cutoff, and 33% are opposed. But 68% oppose the creation of sanctuary cities , and 50% believe sanctuary policies that protect illegal immigrants lead to an increase in crime.
The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on July 24-25, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC . See methodology .
A number of major U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Miami and Washington, D.C. have adopted "sanctuary" ordinances that forbid police officers and other city employees from asking a person's immigration status. The new Arizona law requires local police to check the immigration status of those they suspect of being in the country illegally.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of Republicans and 60% of voters not affiliated with either major party think the Justice Department should take legal action against sanctuary cities. A plurality (46%) of Democrats disagree.
Similarly, while most GOP voters (81%) and most unaffiliateds (64%) think federal funding should be cut off for sanctuary cities, Democrats are narrowly divided on the question.
But, as is often the case, there's a much sharper division between the views of Mainstream voters and the Political Class . Two-out-of-three Mainstream voters (67%) say the federal government should take legal action against cities that provide sanctuary for illegal immigrants, but 55% of the Political Class oppose such action.
While 72% of Mainstream voters favor a cutoff of federal funds to sanctuary cities, 74% of the Political Class are against any such cutoffs.
Yet 73% of the Political Class agree with the Justice Department decision to challenge Arizona's immigration law in court, a decision opposed by 67% of Mainstream voters.
But then 68% of all voters believe the nation's Political Class doesn't "care what most Americans think."
By a two-to-one margin, voters believe the policies of the federal government encourage people to enter the United States illegally .
As the country wrestles with a future of historic-level deficits, 67% say illegal immigrants are a significant strain on the U.S. budget .
The number of voters who view the issue of immigration as Very Important has jumped 16 points from last month to its highest level ever, although it still ranks fifth on a list of 10 issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports .