Daily Sentinel editorial baselessly claimed “80 percent” of Americans oppose Senate immigration proposal

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction baselessly asserted in a June 24 editorial that “80 percent of Americans are now said to oppose” what it called “amnesty legislation for illegal aliens” in the U.S. Senate. In fact, a recent poll found that 41 percent of “those who have heard something about the bill” opposed it. Furthermore, other polls have found a majority of those surveyed support the measure's so-called “amnesty” provisions.

In a June 24 editorial, The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction distorted apparent public attitudes toward proposed immigration reform legislation to suggest that opposition to what it called “amnesty legislation for illegal aliens” had diminished the public's confidence in Congress. The Daily Sentinel made the unsubstantiated claim that “80 percent of Americans are now said to oppose” the immigration reform legislation the Senate had been considering. In fact, a recent Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll found that only 41 percent of “those who have heard something about the bill” opposed it, and numerous reputable national polls show the majority of those surveyed support those provisions of the legislation that critics have branded as “amnesty.”

The editorial discussed Gallup's 2007 update of its Confidence in Institutions poll, conducted June 11-14, which indicated only 14 percent of respondents had “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in Congress.

From the editorial “14 percent and falling” in the June 24 edition of The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction:

Gallup attributes Americans' widespread disgust with Congress to the unpopularity of the war in Iraq. Doubtless that is a major contributor to the public's surly disposition toward Washington's elected officialdom.

Of course, it is no doubt a coincidence that Congress's abysmal approval numbers come at a time when the U.S. Senate is debating amnesty legislation for illegal aliens under the rubric of “comprehensive immigration reform.” An eye-catching 80 percent of Americans are now said to oppose the Senate legislation.

Should the Senate pass the immigration bill later this week and send it along to the House, that 14 percent may soon look like a high point for Congress's public approval ratings.

The Daily Sentinel presumably was referring to Senate legislation that had been introduced as Senate Bill 1348 and had been considered under an amendment that would substitute for the entire bill, Senate Amendment 1150. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) withdrew the entire bill from consideration on June 7, although reportedly it was to be brought back for consideration before the end of the legislative session, possibly as soon as the week of June 25.

The Pew Research Center noted in its analysis of a poll it released June 7 that “one of the bill's primary goals [is] to provide a way for people who are in this country illegally to gain legal citizenship under certain conditions” and that debate on the bill has focused in part on whether this “amounts to a grant of amnesty for people who are in the U.S. illegally.” Contrary to the Daily Sentinel's assertion, Pew found that 54 percent of Americans surveyed favored providing illegal immigrants with “amnesty” if “they pass background checks, pay fines and have jobs,” as Colorado Media Matters has noted.

Similarly, a June 13 Los Angeles Times article about a June 12 Times/Bloomberg poll reported, “A strong majority of Americans -- including nearly two-thirds of Republicans -- favor allowing illegal immigrants to become citizens if they pay fines, learn English and meet other requirements.” The article further reported, “That is a striking show of support for a primary element of an immigration overhaul bill that has stalled in the Senate amid conservative opposition. Only 23% of adults surveyed opposed allowing undocumented immigrants to gain legal status.”

Furthermore, in a May 25 article (accessed through the Nexis database) about a New York Times/CBS News poll taken May 18-23, The New York Times reported that "[t]wo-thirds of those polled said illegal immigrants who had a good employment history and no criminal record should gain legal status as the bill proposes, which is by paying at least $5,000 in fines and fees and receiving a renewable four-year visa."

The Daily Sentinel did not cite any source for its assertion that “80 percent of Americans are now said to oppose the Senate legislation.” According to the Pew poll, 41 percent of “those who have heard something about the bill” oppose it, while 33 percent favored the legislation and 26 percent responded “don't know.”