Mike Keefe, The Denver Post

Isabel M. Estrada Portales
Washington's Voz
08/19/05

Contrary to what may seem common sense, Latinos are not a monolithic group when it comes to immigration, especially to the opening of the borders to more legal immigrants, and to measures that would make life easier to the undocumented.

Among the most interesting findings of a poll released Tuesday by the Washington based Pew Hispanic Center is the differing views of foreign born versus native born Latinos.

An overwhelming majority of Latinos (80%) say that immigrants today strengthen the United States because of their hard work and talents while only a small share (14%) say they are a burden because they take jobs, housing and health care.

However, among Latinos born in the United States immigrants were less welcome, with 65 percent saying undocumented workers harm the economy. However, 89 percent of foreign-born Hispanics said immigrants are beneficial and only five percent say they are a burden.

A recent Pew survey found that only 45% of the general public say immigrants strengthen our country rather than being a burden.

Asked specifically about undocumented or illegal migrants, most Latinos (68%) say they help the economy by providing low-cost labor rather than hurt the economy by driving wages down (23%). The foreign born are again more positive (76% vs. 15%) than the native born (55% vs. 34%).

Should unauthorized migrants be allowed to obtain drivers' licenses? Hispanics are divided 55% in favor, 41% against. Again, the native born are harsher in their opposition: 60% against it, while only 29% of the foreign born oppose the measure. A slight majority (53%) of Latino registered voters oppose giving driver's licenses to undocumented aliens.

Most Hispanics think that the number of legal immigrants coming to the United States from Latin America should stay the same (43%) or be reduced (13%). A little less than a third (31%) believe the number should be increased.

The June 14-27 telephone survey of 1,001 Latino adults found that 56 percent favored proposals for a temporary worker program, which would allow current undocumented workers into the United States for a period before returning home. Eighty-four percent would give undocumented immigrants permanent legal status and eventually allow them to become US citizens.

South of the border

Almost one-half of Mexican adults would move to the United States if given the chance, said the poll, and one-fifth of Mexicans would move north illegally.

The Pew Hispanic Center polled Mexicans in their home country and 46 percent said that they would move stateside "if they had the means and opportunity," according to a poll taken in May. In February, 41 percent of Mexicans said they would. In both door-to-door surveys of 1,200 persons, 21 percent said they would even move to the United States illegally.
"The propensity to migrate is evident in all sectors of Mexican society," the Pew center said in a statement.

"It is in no means restricted to either the poor or the less educated," the center pointed out, with an example that one-third of Mexican college graduates would like to move to the United States and 13 percent said they would do it illegally, according to the February and May surveys.