LA adds: This letter offers a useful template; but it is too long for a letter to Congress, which should not be more than one page. I would suggest quoting perhaps two or three of the opinion polls below instead of all of them.
The Honorable ________
United States Senate
[address and ZIP code, searchable by your ZIP code at www.fairus.org]
Washington, D.C. 205XX
Dear Senator _____:
I am writing to you about the current debate in the Senate over proposals to deal with the problem of roughly twelve million illegal aliens in the U.S.
The first and most basic issue here is terminology: citizens of foreign powers, in our country in violation of our laws, are neither “immigrants” nor “undocumented workers”; they are illegal aliens. They have no standing to make demands upon our government, much less to threaten the state with their general strike. I, however, as a citizen and taxpayer, do have the right to make requests of my government, and I, like so many other Americans, am asking you to protect our country, by defeating S.2611.
Between 60 and 90 percent of all Americans are opposed to the provisions of S.2611. A similar number supports the enforcement-only provisions of HR 4437. The following data show this:
- A Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll (April 4-5, 2006) found that 90 percent think that illegal immigration is a serious problem. The same poll found that 87 percent are concerned about the burden of illegal aliens on government services; 81 percent think it is unfair to grant rights to illegal aliens while legal applicants wait; 75 percent fear that illegal immigration increases crime; and 73 percent want employers who hire illegal aliens to be fined and charged with crimes.
—A USA Today/Gallup poll (April 7-9, 2006) found that 81 percent think that illegal immigration is out of control.
—A Gallup poll (March 26, 2006) found that 80 percent want the government to get tougher on illegal immigration.
—A Time Magazine poll (January 24-26, 2006) found that 83 percent think that illegal immigration is a problem. The same poll found that 74 percent are in favor of major penalties on employers of illegal aliens, and that 70 percent believe that illegal aliens increase the possibility of terrorism.
—Another Time poll (March 29-30, 2006) found that 89 percent percent think that illegal immigration is a problem, and that 82 percent think that not enough is being done to keep illegals from crossing the border.
—A Quinnipac University poll (March 3, 2006) found that 72 percent oppose driver’s licenses for illegal aliens, and 62 percent oppose making it easier for illegal aliens to obtain citizenship.
—A Zogby poll (April 17-24, 2006) found that 69 percent are in favor of a House bill that tries to make illegal aliens go home, reduce future immigration, and has no increases in legal immigration. The same poll found that 67 percent think that immigration should be reduced to give immigrants already here an opportunity to assimilate, and that 66 percent think that both legal and illegal immigration are too high.
—A Rasmussen Reports poll (March 30-31, 2006) found that 66 percent want to control the borders and enforce existing laws before debating new immigration laws. The same poll found that 40 percent want illegal aliens forcibly deported.
—A Hamilton College poll (February 2003) found that 63 percent would support a policy that stopped all immigration from terrorist-harboring countries.
—An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll (March 10-13, 2006) found that 59 percent oppose a guest worker program.
—A Zogby poll (May 2002) found that 58 percent think that the U.S. should admit fewer immigrants.
—Most importantly, an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll (March 10-13, 2006), conducted by IQ Research and Consulting, found that a whopping 92 percent-ninety-two percent-think that securing the borders should be the top priority for both the Congress and the White House.
To summarize:
Most Americans support enforcing current immigration laws and strengthening our borders.
Most Americans support legislation that penalizes illegal aliens and those that employ them.
Most Americans support the removal of illegal aliens.
Most Americans oppose granting any sort of legal status or path to citizenship to illegal aliens.
Most Americans oppose guest worker programs.
Clearly, the majority U.S. citizens oppose the presence of illegal aliens in this country. Overwhelmingly, the people want a secure border. We want sensible immigration laws that are enforced. The people want you to be a part of the solution.
Senator _____, please listen to the people and stand up to defend the U.S. from this onslaught. Please vote against S.2611.
Sincerely,
[signature, name, address]