Rep. Smith Refutes Immigration Poll

Press Release

Rep. Smith Refutes Immigration Poll

U.S. Representative Lamar Smith today refuted the findings of a recent poll that attempts to define the views of Republicans toward guest worker programs.

The poll, which was conducted by the Tarrance Group and released by the Manhattan Institute, claims that a majority of Republicans support guest worker programs, a finding that runs contrary to the findings of other national polls on the topic, said Rep. Smith.

"The outcome of a poll is all in how you phrase the questions. In the case of the Manhattan Institute, their poll contains slanted questions designed to get the answers they want. They achieved the desired results of the Institute - to find support for guest worker programs.

"For example, a question about a foreign worker program omits any mention that the workers are in the country illegally. If the question were factual, the response would have been significantly different.

"A CBS poll taken earlier this year asked respondents whether immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally should be allowed to apply for work permits and stay in the United States. More than two thirds of Republicans responded that they should not be allowed and 63% of all the respondents, which included Democrats and Independents, were opposed to guest worker programs.

"The Manhattan Institute supports a guest worker program, so they got the results they wanted. No one should believe the poll accurately reflects public sentiment," Smith concluded.

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