A reader recently shared a link to multiple immigration polls concerning the controversial bill that aimed to grant amnesty to 15 million illegal aliens in the United States. The polls, sourced from major mainstream media outlets, all carefully avoid using the word “amnesty,” even though that’s essentially what was being proposed: granting citizenship to millions of people living in the U.S. illegally.
What stands out in these polls is the avoidance of the term “amnesty.” Even though most Americans understood this was the crux of the legislation, none of the polls conducted by outlets like USA Today, CNN, NBC News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and others used the word. It’s as if the media was trying to dance around the issue, making it less direct and possibly less inflammatory.
Loaded Questions and Polling Bias
The language used in the polls seems carefully crafted to steer away from the true heart of the matter. Despite this, the polls still showed a consistent 2 to 1 opposition to the bill. It raises the question: who are they trying to fool? If the goal was to make the bill more palatable to the public by avoiding certain terms, the strategy failed. Americans saw through the manipulation, and in the end, the overwhelming majority remained against the idea of granting amnesty.
The page shared by the reader listed multiple polls from reputable sources such as FOX News, CBS News, and The Washington Post, yet none of them mentioned the word “amnesty.” This is particularly striking when considering that 70% of Americans and half of Congress were openly calling it what it was—amnesty.
Key Poll Results
One of the most straightforward polls came from CBS News/New York Times, conducted from May 18-23. It asked a clear-cut question: “Should ILLEGAL immigrants be prosecuted and deported for being in the U.S. illegally, or shouldn’t they?” The response was overwhelmingly in favor of enforcement, with 69% saying yes and only 24% saying no.
Similarly, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll asked respondents whether illegal immigrants help or harm the nation’s economy. The results showed that 54% believed illegal immigrants harm the economy, while only 24% felt they help.
Public Opinion vs. Congressional and Media Narrative
Despite the efforts of both Congress and the media to sell the bill, Americans were not swayed. The polls, though careful in their wording, revealed a consistent desire among the public to enforce existing immigration laws and reject amnesty.
As highlighted by a Rasmussen Reports poll released on June 6, only 23% of voters supported the bill, reinforcing the strong opposition from the American people.
Conclusion
The omission of the word “amnesty” in these polls reflects a broader issue of how the media and political establishments often attempt to frame debates in ways that obscure the true nature of the policies being discussed. However, the American public wasn’t fooled, as shown by the overwhelming opposition to the bill. The lesson here is that transparency and direct language are crucial when it comes to understanding public sentiment on important issues like immigration reform.
