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Arizona Voters Oppose Amnesty for Illegals in ‘Build Back Better’

Barely one-fifth of Arizona voters support efforts by Democrats to include an amnesty provision for illegal immigrants in the “Build Back Better” legislation currently pending in Congress, and most would vote against a member of Congress who supports the proposed amnesty.

A new telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and Numbers USA finds that just 21% of Likely Arizona Voters approve of a provision in the Build Back Better bill that would offer 10 years of work permits and legal status to approximately 8 million illegal immigrants. Another 16% would only support the proposed 10-year amnesty if it includes provisions to stop future illegal immigration. Thirty-one percent (31%) say no amnesty should be considered until the border is under control, while 26% oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants under any condition. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Only 24% of Arizona voters would be more inclined to vote for a member of Congress who supported work permits for approximately 8 million illegal immigrants without addressing the current level of illegal border crossings. Fifty-nine percent say they’d be more inclined to vote against a member of Congress who supported the proposed amnesty.

The survey found majorities of independent (62%), suburban (59%) and Hispanic voters (64%) in Arizona would vote against a member of Congress who supported the proposed amnesty in the Build Back Better bill. “Will Arizona's two U.S. Senators defy those overlapping demographic groups of Hispanics, independents and suburbanites whose shifting allegiances are likely to decide who controls Congress in next year's midterm elections?” asked Roy Beck, President of the NumbersUSA Education & Research Foundation, which sponsored the poll.

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The survey of 924 Arizona Likely Voters was conducted on November 16, 2021 by Rasmussen Reports and Numbers USA. 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.

Arizona voters are overwhelmingly concerned about the recent surge that reportedly has 200,000 foreign migrants illegally crossing the border from Mexico each month. Seventy-seven percent (77%) said they are concerned about the level of illegal crossings, including 59% who are Very Concerned. Only 23% of Arizona voters are not concerned about the level of illegal immigration, including 10% who are Not At All Concerned.

Ninety percent (90%) of Arizona Republicans, 57% of Democrats and 78% of voters not affiliated with either major party are concerned about the level of illegal border crossings.

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Arizona voters believe the federal government should adopt stricter policies to reduce the flow of illegal crossings. Only 25% think the government is doing about as much as it should to control the border with Mexico. Another 10% are not sure. Eighty-five percent (85%) of Arizona Republicans, 38% of Democrats and 66% of unaffiliated voters think the government should adopt stricter border policies.

Significantly, 62% of Hispanic voters in Arizona are in favor of stricter policies to reduce the flow of illegal crossings from Mexico, as are 67% of whites and 45% of black voters.

Overall, 50% of Arizona voters oppose the Build Back Better bill, while 33% support the legislation. Another 17% are not sure.

Among other findings from the survey:

— Sixty-one percent (61%) of Arizona voters – including 59% of suburbanites, 62% of unaffiliated voters, and 64% of Hispanics – believe the proposed amnesty provision in the Build Back Better bill would encourage more illegal border crossings. Only 32% accept claims by the measure’s supporters that the amnesty provision won’t make much difference in illegal border crossings.

— Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Arizona voters oppose believe most people who cross that border with Mexico illegally should be returned to Mexico. Only 29% support President Joe Biden’s policy that allows many illegal immigrants to live and work in the United States until requested to appear in court.

— Eighty-two percent (82%) of Arizona voters have been closely following news reports about the Build Back Better bill, including 55% who have been following the news Very Closely. More Republicans (64%) than Democrats (50%) or unaffiliated voters (51%) say they’ve been following news about the bill Very Closely.

— Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Arizona voters believe that, in trying to control illegal immigration, the government should mandate that all employers use the federal electronic E-Verify system to help ensure that they hire only legal workers for U.S. jobs. Majorities support E-Verify across political and demographic categories.

“By a margin of 73-15 percent, Arizona voters want mandatory E-Verify,” Beck said. “But the amnesty language in the reconciliation bill has no provision of any kind for removing the jobs magnet for future illegal immigration. The drafters of this legislation certainly don't understand the priorities of border-state voters in Arizona.”

Two-thirds of voters don’t believe illegal immigrants have a right to sue the U.S. government, and as for settlement payments to families separated at the border, most think the proper amount is zero.

A majority of voters blame President Joe Biden for the migrant crisis at the Mexico border, and rate him “poor” on his handling of immigration. Most voters also give the media poor ratings for their coverage of America’s immigration problems.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to the public as well as to Platinum Members.

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The survey of 924 Arizona Likely Voters was conducted on November 16, 2021 by Rasmussen Reports and Numbers USA. 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.

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