PEW Report on American's Immigration

Nota: The PEW Hispanic Center has just released a 80-page report on
immigration policy in the US. See, The Pew Research Center for the
People & the Press & Pew Hispanic Center, _America's Immigration
Quandary: No Consensus on Immigration Problem or Proposed Fixes_.
Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center, March 30, 2006. Thanks Whitney
for pointing out the report and sending it our way. The short blurbs
on the Web site read as follow:

New Research
3.30.2006

America's Immigration Quandary
No Consensus on Immigration Problem or Proposed Fixes

Americans are increasingly concerned about immigration. A growing
number believe that immigrants are a burden to the country, taking
jobs and housing and creating strains on the health care system. Yet
the public remains largely divided in its views of the overall effect
of immigration. Roughly as many believe that newcomers to the U.S.
strengthen American society as say they threaten traditional American
values, and over the longer term, positive views of Latin American
immigrants, in particular, have improved dramatically. Reflecting this
ambivalence, the public is split over many of the policy proposals
aimed at dealing with the estimated 11.5 million-12 million
unauthorized migrants in the U.S. The poll is based on a survey
conducted nationally and in five cities in conjunction with the Pew
Research Center for People and the Press.

And:

3.30.2006
America's Immigration Quandary
No Consensus on Immigration Problem or Proposed Fixes

Report Materials
Complete Report

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Andrew Kohut, Director
Scott Keeter, Director of Survey Research
Carroll Doherty, Associate Director, Editorial

Pew Hispanic Center
Roberto Suro, Director
Gabriel Escobar, Associate Director, Publications

Americans are increasingly concerned about immigration. A growing
number believe that immigrants are a burden to the country, taking
jobs and housing and creating strains on the health care system. Many
people also worry about the cultural impact of the expanding number of
newcomers in the U.S.

Yet the public remains largely divided in its views of the overall
effect of immigration. Roughly as many believe that newcomers to the
U.S. strengthen American society as say they threaten traditional
American values, and over the longer term, positive views of Latin
American immigrants, in particular, have improved dramatically.

Reflecting this ambivalence, the public is split over many of the
policy proposals aimed at dealing with the estimated 11.5 million-12
million unauthorized migrants in the U.S. Overall, 53% say people who
are in the U.S. illegally should be required to go home, while 40% say
they should be granted some kind of legal status that allows them to
stay here.

To access your online copy of the report click on:

<http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/63.pdf>;

Roberto R. Calderón
Historia Chicana [Historia]