American voters believe the Senate Bill won't be effective in reducing illegal immigration

The immigration bill being debated by the U.S. Senate is unpopular with voters, and there's a good reason why - the general public doesn’t believe it help will reduce illegal immigration, and that's what most voters want from immigration reform.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that only 16% of American voters actually believe that illegal immigration will decline if the Senate bill is passed. Seventy-four percent (74%) disagree. Of those who disagree, 41% believe the Senate bill will actually make things worse, leading to an increase in illegal immigration.

Despite a major push by President Bush and other supporters in the past week, support for the Senate bill has not increased. Bush acknowledged strong public opposition to the bill by saying that elected officials will need political “courage” to pass the measure. Sixty-six percent (66%) believe it doesn't make sense to debate new immigration laws until we can first control our borders and enforce existing laws.

Eighty-one percent (81%) of American voters said they are closely following news stories about the issue; 37% are following it Very Closely. Those with the highest interest in the issue oppose the legislation by a 3-to-1 margin (69% to 23%). Unaffiliated voters are more opposed to the bill than either Republicans or Democrats.