Immigration Challenge Picks its Best Shot in Public Opinion
EmailIt’s interesting that in its challenge to Arizona’s immigration law today the U.S. Department of Justice chose to focus chiefly on pre-emption of federal authority rather than on civil rights.
Heck, someone might even have read the polls.
The tack presumably takes what Justice sees as its best legal shot. But it also has the charm, from the administration’s perspective, of being the approach with the best chance of garnering public support. In our data, the prospect of a state-federal conflict is the more resonant concern.
Our June poll noted specifically that opponents of Arizona’s law “say it could violate civil rights and lead to racial profiling.” Nonetheless 58 percent of Americans said they support the law, given the counterargument that its proponents say it will help crack down on illegal immigration.
There’s vast racial gap, mind you: Support for the measure ranges from 68 percent of whites to just 31 percent of nonwhites. Still, the net of 58 percent puts the administration's challenge on the short side of majority opinion.
But there’s more of a division overall on whether states should be allowed to make and enforce their own immigration laws (46 percent) or this should be left to federal jurisdiction (52 percent). On this whites split about evenly, 51-47 percent, while nonwhites favor federal jurisdiction by nearly 2-1.
These data suggest that if it were looking for a fighting chance in public opinion, the administration would do better by stressing the pre-emption argument. E voila: precisely the approach the Justice Department took today.
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Another example of the Egobama administration trying to destroy America with his Socialist agenda. The federal government should be helping enforce such laws instead of fighting them. God help us if this Muslim succeeds in his agenda.
Posted by: Elmer O Hurst Jr | July 6, 2010, 7:01 pm 7:01 pm
Does the non-white sampling of that poll include illegals? Were only low income Latinos polled? I’m a second generation Latino (son of legal immigrants) and I’m staunchly opposed to illegal immigration; it’s a slap in the face to my parents.
I’m a Democrat. I cut and edge my own lawn. I will not be voting for any Democrats until my party learns what the word “illegal” means.
Posted by: fredbob | July 6, 2010, 9:04 pm 9:04 pm
I can only hope this mistake backfires on Obama and his minions and wakes America up to the mess this administration has gotten us into.
The debt alone is enough to sink us. It would take 50+ years to amortize the current debt. Obama fans that would mean 50+ years of balanced budgets and payments of a whopping half-trillion dollars per year. But the empty suit is going to get tough and cut the deficit in half in 2012 or was it 2013?
What does it mean to cut the deficit in half? Obama fans it means he is still charging but at half speed. The debt is still growing and will grow until everyone has done the math as I have and realizes we are in free-fall!
Have you ever heard these math numbers on debt amortization before? Are you going to tell family, friends and complete strangers the truth? Fifty years is a long time and we haven’t even started. In fact, we haven’t even considered starting.
Where do we go from here? Now that you know the truth you have the same burden as me. I can see November from my house, how about you?
Posted by: Ed Taylor | July 6, 2010, 9:39 pm 9:39 pm
So if one made a syllogism of this suit it would seem that the Department of Justice is making the case for its right not to enforce the Federal law securing the Arizona border.
Isn’t that DOJ position a bit ludicrous at best. I think the vast majority of Americans will support Arizona in this case.
Should our government be flexing its muscles and spending borrowed funds to defend its right of non-performance. Isn’t this in the same category as the Coast Guard halting oil spill cleanup to check for life vests?
It seems that we have more than one empty suit in this administration.
Posted by: Ed Taylor | July 7, 2010, 1:16 am 1:16 am
The choice not to sue over civil rights violations after months of claiming it violates civil rights doesn’t improve the Obama administrations position at all. It just makes them look sneaky and disingenuous. To people like me that have tried to support Obama eventhough I don’t like a lot of his policies, this crosses the line from what I believed was just incompetence due to inexperience to clearly having no respect for the laws of the land and openly refusing to enforce them. This story does not exist in a vacuum. There is also the breaking story of the DOJ and the black panthers voting rights violations which is extremely disturbing. For the president of the united states this pattern of behavior is unacceptable and I think he needs to be impeached.
Posted by: peterg | July 7, 2010, 7:44 am 7:44 am
Not even the Roman Empire was as confused and corrupt as is this United States of America. And yes, full speed ahead on the road of selfdestruction, while its horrendous and inhumane war machine circles the globe, shooting and threatening to shoot to pieces any nation on planet earth that does not quickly bow low and says: Heil to the most powerful ever, American Empire with its Emperor and King, we welcome you! However, 9/11 made in America, by America, for America in the shop of complete and absolute lawlessness/anarchy witht the Commander in Chief its foreman, in a figure of speech! I rest my case!
Posted by: HDS26234 | July 7, 2010, 9:18 am 9:18 am
Yeah…
The preemption of LARGER GOVERNMENT is sure a winner strategy…
NOT!
116 more days, and we’re going to show them ALL what we think of THEIR government… the one they put above OUR government!!
Immigration is FINALLY the issue… and BOTH parties are dancing around the issue as if they think the ILLEGAL ALIENS are going to vote.
Guess what, MORONS!!! Americans are HUGELY in favor of what Arizona has done… it’s only the whiners who are getting the air time in the MSM.
The REST of us speak with our VOTE, which the incumbents are NOT getting in November!
Posted by: Namako | July 9, 2010, 8:17 am 8:17 am
We need to move the Federal government from Washington DC to Mexico. They need to be closer to their constituents. Perhaps from there they would be able to complete their task of destroying this country: rid it of any productive person,increase the slop in the trough for the mooching class, and seize all assets from anyone who was stupid enough to play by the rules and save.
This administration is a disgrace to all LEGAL Americans, they are a disgrace to our children through their borrowing, and they not just condone lawlessness, they promote it!
Posted by: tobeornottobe | July 11, 2010, 1:09 pm 1:09 pm
Take note that ABC poll did not ask if States should be able to enforce Federal Immigration laws. I would think that would have been a much better question to ask.
Posted by: jd | July 11, 2010, 5:38 pm 5:38 pm
Obama is doomed in 2012
Posted by: Perry | July 11, 2010, 8:55 pm 8:55 pm
Don’t our Federal Government owe it to all of the US citizens to protect every person that is a citizen in the USA by obeying our Constitution and getting all illegal immigrants out of our Country as soon as possible. This is a security issue as we are at war with another Country. Also every American deserves to be protected by our Constitutional laws by our Governmental officals enforceing the laws that are stated in it. This is not a choice by our Government to either follow our laws but it is an obligation to follow these laws to the fullest extent of the laws that Govern our Country. Nobody is asking our Government to do anything not ethical, we just want our Government to follow the law of our land!
Posted by: Magnum1 | July 15, 2010, 11:24 pm 11:24 pm
non whites? Could they be specific, break it down by race as oppose to non-whites, most non whites are Hispanics.
Posted by: phallon | July 18, 2010, 5:37 pm 5:37 pm
Our Government had better listen to the public on the immigration policies in the US. Most Americans want the illegal immigrants to be sent back where they came from. The amnistey policy is no good. Just get rid of all of the people that are here illegally. If our Government dosen’t do this, around election day many people will be suprised.
Posted by: Magnum1 | July 19, 2010, 1:30 pm 1:30 pm
Can’t our President be impeached for not obeying our Constitution by letting these illegal immigrants into our Country. It is a matter of National security to know everyone who is in our Country in a time of war with terrorists. And besides that these illegal immigrants are stealing from the legal citizens funds for SS, and taking money from our medical rsources for free. Also working for cash and not paying any taxes into our systems. Arrest them all, they have even come here illegally!
Posted by: Magnum1 | July 21, 2010, 12:02 am 12:02 am
News Flash for all those “VOTE CHASERS” that are selling out our country-November is coming soon and you will be voted OUT of office. (Oh my GOD now they will have to get a REAL JOB, and can’t FLEECE the country anymore. I’ll bet now all those ‘SELL OUT” politicians will know how much a gallon of milk cost, or what it’s like to lose your home. As to those FOREIGN COUNTRIES that are suing AZ over the AZ ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LAW: your only interest is the money sent HOME by the ILLEGALS that SUPPORT YOUR ENONOMY. WHY don’t you improve YOUR COUNTRY so YOUR PEOPLE will want to stay home, and why don’t you tell us about your IMMIGRATION LAWS AND HOW YOU ENFORCE THEM????????
Posted by: barbie1z | July 22, 2010, 9:07 am 9:07 am
Maybe one day the President of the USA will stand up for all of it’s legal citizens, just like he is doing for all of our illegal immigrants that are here and have broken one of our basic laws that protects all American citizens from other Countries that invade our Country. I think that this law is in our Constitution, that is if our Constitution os worth a dam!
Posted by: Magnum1 | July 23, 2010, 1:04 am 1:04 am
Polling organizations do not check citizenship for polls. Some polls are based on likely voters, it really depends on the poll.
The briefs by the Congressional Immigration reform caucus and briefs by the states, as well as precedent make a strong argument in support of Arizona, against the DOJ’s argument of Federal preemption.
The administration does not get to choose what parts of the law they support, Congress writes the law, not th administration.
Posted by: win | July 24, 2010, 2:02 pm 2:02 pm
Do I think these such as –extensive health care,–special meals–, — hair salon for the female detainees ,–library including law books– , are , —-not appropriate—- for Illegal immigrants on— ( any Level )— ! Or you out of your dam Illegal head ! Do you know what the word Illegally means ICE ? If not look it up ! WE need to STOP illegal immigration in it’s entirely to save our own economy – period! Illegal’s should NOT be given preferential treatment or privileges. The detention facilities need to discourage them from trying again. My family earned it by fighting in every single war since the birth of this nation. I will not let some ILLEGAL take it from me or my families honor.
Posted by: Handofdoom | July 25, 2010, 6:54 pm 6:54 pm
Obama’s admin first sends out a memo ordering that section 8 of motor voting be ignored. Section 8 takes felons, dead people, and Illegals off the voting roles. Now, he is ordering that illegals be ignored and allowed to stay in. Get it? He’s corrupting the polling booths. He should be jailed.
Posted by: sickofsocialists | August 1, 2010, 4:34 pm 4:34 pm
This is stunning considering the number of lawyers Obama has working for him. No Body seems to know the constitution anymore.
Posted by: Patriot | August 3, 2010, 8:49 am 8:49 am
Every Congress person that stood up and clapped when the Mexican President spoke should be fired.
Posted by: Jan Saunders | August 5, 2010, 11:52 am 11:52 am
Don’t worry Jan, they will be in 88 days, 12 hours and 38 minutes…
FIRED!! And UNEMPLOYED!!
Posted by: Namako | August 5, 2010, 7:21 pm 7:21 pm
The states need to join together and sue the federal government/Obama for not enforcing the immigration laws (not doing his job). In addition to that any person who is a victim of crime (i.e. family member killed) by an illegal immigrant that his slip thru the immigration system should be able to sue the federal goverment for pain and suffering that was caused by there failure to enforced our borders.
Posted by: MistyK | September 2, 2010, 1:27 pm 1:27 pm
The truth is the US government really does not want to deal with the illegals. It’s very simple, have everyone get an ID or drivers lic along with fingerprints, illegals and legal US citizens too. HELLO!!!! Then you have a tracking system, but no the morons of the DMV won’t issue illegal aliens an ID therefore there is no way to track them, that leads to repeat offenders of DUI’s etc because there is NO way to track ppl. If you had ID’s in place then you might have an address where Jose, Maria, Said, Mohammad and Chin Ling live to round them up hmmm?? What a concept
Posted by: speedy gonzalez | September 2, 2010, 2:23 pm 2:23 pm