ARIZONA LAWSUIT MONDAY

Experts also discussed how support of SB1070 among non-Latino voters reflects mounting frustration over federal government's failure to pass a workable immigration solution. 

“This polling data confirms what we have known for a long time,” said SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina. “American voters—Latinos and non-Latinos—are angry and increasingly fed up with Congress’ continued failure to fix our broken immigration system. In the absence of a practical fix by Congress, voters will grasp at straws for anything they believe delivers action.  

“Yet there is clearly a political cost among Latinos voters,” Medina continued. “Arizona Latino voters' widespread opposition to SB1070 shows that frivolous, reactionary state laws just serve to galvanize Latino voters to move away from candidates who push draconian, enforcement-only legislation.”

The Latino Decisions poll of 402 Latino voters in Arizona and the Grove Insight poll of 500 base voters in Arizona tested overall views and political implications of the passage of SB1070, as well as voters' views on immigration reform. Key findings include that 81 percent of Arizona Latino voters oppose SB1070. Since the bills’ passage the issue of immigration reform has shot up by 16 points, moving ahead of the economy and healthcare as the leading issue among Latino voters.

“The data shows very clearly that Latino voters in Arizona, from first generation immigrants to fourth generation families, are very much opposed to SB1070 and that national immigration reform is now their single most important issue,” said Matt A. Barreto, pollster with Latino Decisions and Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington. “Overwhelmingly, Latino voters fully expect the federal government to take up national immigration reform during 2010 to fix this problem in Arizona."

Grove Insight’s poll of Arizona base voters shows similar frustration over Congressional inaction. While 60 percent of Arizona voters express support for SB1070, a whopping 73 percent also support federal reform that includes both enforcement and a path to citizenship. Asking about support for SB1070 without also asking about comprehensive immigration reform fails to reveal voters’ underlying motivations. As a result, the vast majority of polling data on SB1070 belies what public opinion research has repeatedly shown: that a majority of Americans—across regions and party lines—believe a federal overhaul of our broken immigration system that includes a path to legalization is the only way to end illegal immigration and move our country forward.

“Arizonans are frustrated with the current immigration situation and are particularly incensed with the federal government’s failure to solve the problem,” said Ben Patinkin, Senior Analyst at Grove Insight. “While many grasp at SB1070 as a potential solution, the data indicates that they would much prefer comprehensive reform at the national level.”

"SB1070 looks popular in polls because it provides a way to express frustration with federal inaction on fixing immigration,” said Clarissa Martinez, Director of Immigration and National Campaigns for the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). “But there is a political price to pay because Latino voters know this law will be ineffective and lead to racial profiling, and they will remember which politicians supported it, and which did nothing to stop it.”

You can download full analysis of both polls at: http://www.seiu.org/2010/05/arizona-polling-round-up.php.

 To review the full Latino Decisions report, go to http://www.docstoc.com/docs/38665576/Survey-of-Arizona-Latino-Voters-Post-SB-1070. To download the full Grove Insight report, go to http://www.docstoc.com/docs/38665647/Perceptions-of-Immigration-in-Arizona.

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SEIU – With 2.2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers--not just corporations and CEOs--benefit from today's global economy.

NCLR – The largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, NCLR works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans.  Through its network of nearly 300 affiliated community-based organizations, NCLR reaches millions of Hispanics each year in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.  To achieve its mission, NCLR conducts applied research, policy analysis, and advocacy, providing a Latino perspective in five key areas—assets/investments, civil rights/immigration, education, employment and economic status, and health.  In addition, it provides capacity-building assistance to its Affiliates who work at the state and local level to advance opportunities for individuals and families.