A new Harvard-Harris poll shows overwhelming support for commonsense immigration policies that promote public health, fiscal sustainability and public safety. The poll was conducted on February 26-28th 2020 with 2,592 registered voters.
Among those polled, 79 percent favored an immigration halt during the coronavirus pandemic as opposed to the 21 percent that didn’t. With four out of five voters favoring an immigration pause, voters clearly see that public health security is national security. It’s evident that Americans realize that travel from certain countries should be restricted during outbreaks and that public health inspections should be required of all people traveling to the U.S.
On another national security question, the poll also found 65 percent of those surveyed oppose issuing driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. Yet just recently, New York passed the Green Light bill in 2019 to issue driver’s licenses to illegal aliens, New Jersey followed suit, and earlier this year Virginia passed legislation to grant “driving privilege cards” to illegal aliens. Legislators in Massachusetts and Rhode Island are currently contemplating similar legislation that would give more illegal aliens government issued identity documents (even though the states issuing them have no real way of verifying those identities).
Legislators clearly have forgotten or didn’t learn their history lesson. Providing driver’s licenses to illegal aliens gives them the appearance of legality and makes it easier to blend in for those who may seek to commit acts of terrorism here. One only needs to remember the lesson learned from 9-11 where the 19 hijackers secured multiple driver’s licenses through both valid and fraudulent means.
Poll respondents firmly believe public safety must be a public policy priority. If legislators enact policies that shield criminal aliens, 55 percent said they favored giving victims legal standing to sue sanctuary cities that prohibit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Finally, respondents want to limit the number of immigrants coming to the United States who are likely to be on the public dole. Fifty-nine percent of those polled favored strengthening the rule that bars issuing a green card to immigrants who may need government assistance and 56 percent favored denying a green card to those who are likely to require government assistance.
The Harvard Harris poll clearly shows that voters agree with the Supreme Court’s ruling last January to lift the injunction and allow the Trump administration’s expansion of the public charge rules. These rules give federal officials at U.S. Customs and Immigration Service the power to deny green cards to immigrants based on a test that looks at their comprehensive history of using social programs, such as welfare, Supplemental Security Income benefits (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), certain forms of Medicaid, and public housing benefits.
This new Harvard Harris poll is but the latest of many that show that Americans prefer policies that serve the national interest by keeping immigration safe, limited, and legal. r
