Poll: Support for Arizona Immigration Law Hits 57 Percent

CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.

Public support for Arizona's controversial new immigration law has increased slightly, a new CBS News poll shows, with 57 percent of Americans characterizing the law as "about right" in the way it addresses the issue of illegal immigration.

Support for the measure increased five points since May. Since then, the Justice Department has filed suit against the law, claiming that it usurps federal authority to enforce immigration laws.

The measure in question, signed into law in April and slated to go into effect later this month, makes it a state crime for a person to be in the country illegally. It also requires local law enforcement to question a person about his or her immigration status during all "lawful stops" if there is "reasonable suspicion" that person may be in the country illegally.

Twenty-three percent of Americans think the law goes too far, according to the poll, conducted July 9 - 12. That's down five points from the 28 percent who said in May that the measure goes too far. Another 17 percent said it doesn't go far enough.

About half of Americans - 52 percent -- say states should be able to enact laws regarding illegal immigrants, while 42 percent think only the federal government should able to do so.

There is a sharp partisan divide on this question: most Democrats (58 percent) say laws covering illegal immigration should be the responsibility of the federal government only, while Republicans (64 percent) and independents (58 percent) think the states should be allowed to pass such laws.

Half of Americans think illegal immigrants take jobs that Americans don't want, while fewer - 42 percent -- say they take jobs away from Americans.

Watch this week's @katiecouric Webshow below where Katie Couric talks to experts on both sides of the debate -- NYU Law Professor Cristina Rodriguez, Dan Stein, President of FAIR, and Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow at Migration Policy Institute and former INS commissioner:

More from the poll:

Obama's Approval Rating on Economy Drops
Poll: Americans Say Bad Economy Will Linger
Poll: Support For Health Care Reform Drops
Poll: Most Want Afghanistan Withdrawal Timeline

Read the Complete Poll

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This poll was conducted among a random sample of 966 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone July 9-12, 2010. Phone numbers were dialed from random digit dial samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

[sleepyjns]

These illegals are blood sucking leeches that need to be removed from our society TODAY!!!! GO REPUBLICANS AND ALL THE DEMOCRATS WHO ARE VOTING NO TO THE dream act.

[xanthlegend]

Obama should leave the sheriff alone, let him do his job. Our country is unsafe due to Obama and not allowing good people like the Arizona Sheriff do his job, as if the president is jealous because someone is helping when he is not!

[aThinkingDemocrat]

Arizona should be allowed to enforce this law, as should other States if they decide to pass something similiar. After all, it is the States that are burdened with educating,feeding, and dealing with the crime associated with illegal immigration. As a country we need to stop supporting illegal immigration. The fact that many states actually issue drivers' licences to illegal immigrants - now that is a crime!

[bonthom13]

I do not understand why President Obama will not go to Arizona we help other counrties but we can not help our own. I really feel bad for the people in Arizona and really bad for the police officers that put their life on the line everyday. Arizona you have my full support and I pray that this will be resolved soon for you.

[viper7373]

absolutely in favor for the Arizona law and hope it takes effect all over our country. to me them coming over the boarder the way they do looks more like an invasion we as americans change our lives to fit them in to it there sucking up our resource's like a sponge medical and food stamps ,housing schooling having to hire more teachers to (teach them English) if i were to go and steal a pack of gum i would go right to jail they cross our boarders and get no more then a free ride? whats wrong with this country that it would allow people to come here in by the millions there recking havoc all over our country and we americans must be the ones to change our lives to make life good for them what about our children what are we leaving them to look forward to ?this is not about being black, white ,Hispanic you have all these groups trying to turn this into a racist thing when in fact its all for the vote for the rich that sit up in the mountain on high an run our lives the way they see fit there no more for our countryman then the taliban that's a hit at you MR President and our sorry excuse for congress what happen to it being what the people of America say and want not what a hand full of people say what else are we to do? might as well come up with a new national anthem as well for no one knows what its like to be a proud American anymore just wondering to all of those out there if anyone's heard the saying you must pull the board out of your own eye before you can pull a splinter out of someone else's eye ???

[technologiez]

Something has to be done about illegal immigrants. Too many bad things, like the Texas police officer who was almost killed by a twice criminally deported illegal immigrant, keep happening. Read the story here...
http://technologiez.net/2010/07/29/arizona-immigration-law-sb-1070-has-blocked/

[kathy9358]

This subject practically leaves me speechless! I CANNOT believe that any American citizen would be against a law that is in place for our benefit. All of you who are against Arizona, why do you want to financially support these people. Yes, some of them do work (illegally), but an extremely high number of them suck the system dry! I am from Massachusetts and I myself am ashamed of the way illegals expect to be treated and our state seems to cave into them. WHY...they are illegal and CANNOT vote! Instead of worrying about supporting these people, maybe the politicians should take care of the REAL American citizens.
The federal government will not enforce their own laws so it is time for the states to take over! Jan Brewer - I APPLAUD YOU!!!!! More Americans should be like you.....unlike certain politicians, you seem to care about America and American citizens.

[sleepyjns]

Dont let this poll get to you. It is a fake. The Democrats set the illegals up in warehouses, paid them, gave them phones and computers and told them what to do. This is fake as all get out.
Let the AMERICAN people have a ballot on the Dream act, (All have to show ID, no illegals allowed to vote) and we will see exactly what the Americans want. Heck, Reid already cheated in the election back in November as did Obama and the rest of his Cronies.

[jjc4u]

shame on goverment, illegal immigrants are grads of our high schools ,yet i as a born american was not able to enroll my grandchildren in school due to LACK OF PROPER PAPERS,they are a year behind due to this,it took a year to get help, WHY,WHY, WHY NOT ALLOW THE WHITE HOUSE TO BE ILLEGALS SAFE HAVEN, we dont need them dont want them ,WE THE PEOPLE, stand together,unite,maybe we all should go to our broaders and protect ourselfs,are goverment is only for none born americans, beware ,one is our wanna be leader,

[thy-only_king]

I saved the best for last.
I took a survey today,
100% support the Arizona
immigration law.

[thy-only_king]

Correction, 1 illegal Mexican was against it.
He left town.

[thy-only_king]

A Dan Jones & Associates poll for the Deseret News and KSL-TV last month found 65 percent of 406 registered Utah voters were in favor of following Arizona's lead with a local version of the law.