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8.16.2005

Attitudes toward Immigrants and Immigration Policy

Surveys among Latinos in the U.S. and in Mexico

by Roberto Suro

Report Materials

Download PDF Complete Report

Other Resources

Although an overwhelming majority of Hispanics expresses positive attitudes toward immigrants, relatively few Hispanics favor increasing the flow of legal immigration from Latin America and a significant minority, concentrated among native-born Latinos, is concerned that unauthorized migrants are hurting the economy. One hotly-debated means to discourage unauthorized migration--laws that deny drivers licenses to people who are in the country illegally--draws support from a majority of the native born, according to a survey of the Latino population in the United States conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center (PHC).

Meanwhile, separate PHC surveys conducted in Mexico show that about four of every ten adults in the Mexican population say they would migrate to the United States if they had the means and opportunity and that two of every ten are inclined to live and work here without legal authorization. The willingness to migrate, even illegally, is evident in all sectors of Mexican society including the middle class and the well-educated as well as those who are poor and who only completed low-levels of schooling.

Several major immigration reform bills were introduced in Congress earlier this summer, and President George W. Bush has said recently that he expects to see action on the topic when he and the Congress return to Washington in September. The various proposals under consideration generally aim to deal with two broad sets of policy challenges: Determining the status of the estimated 11 million persons, most of them Latinos, who currently live in the country without authorization. And, managing future migration flows.

Other Resources

Pew Hispanic Center Reports

The Pew Hispanic Center published a variety of reports focusing on immigration.
One of our most recent reports analyzes the changes that new Latino immigration has on the non-traditional settlement areas such as the South. The Center also published several reports estimating the size and characteristics of the undocumented. Several reports on labor characteristics of immigrants have been published recently. The Center also published a series of reports that surveyed Mexican migrants, most recently a report on attitudes about voting in Mexican elections.

US Real ID Act

The US congress passed the REAL ID act which requires states to verify that an applicant is an American citizen or a legal immigrant before granting a driver's license. H.R.418.IH, which is the official name of this bill, can be found in the Thomas Legislation Information website. National Immigration Law Center has resources concerning the effects on immigrants and driver's licenses. Stateline.org has published several articles on the REAL ID act and its effect on local governments.

Immigration Reform Legislation

The National Conference of State Legislatures provides an overview on current immigration legislation on the federal and state levels. The Migration Policy Institute provides analysis of immigration policies worldwide and has convened a bipartisan task force of US policy makers to address a range of policy challenges. The National Immigration Forum provides a side by side overview of current legislation as well as other news and analysis concerning immigration policy. The Forum advocates on behalf of open immigration policies. The Center for Immigration Studies also offers legislative analysis from the point of view of an organization that favors restrictive policies.

Opinion Surveys on Immigration

There are surveys that have been conducted by other organizations that focused on immigrants and immigration policy. The Hamilton College Immigration Survey conducted in 2003 found that about 40% of those polled favor decreasing immigration levels. A paper titled Immigration, Economic Insecurity, and the Ambivalent American Public published by the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies discusses whether economic factors drive national opinion on immigration. Immigration in America, a survey project by National Public Radio, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government examines the public's views on immigration in America.