Latino voters in Texas are anti-wall

A new CNN Poll finds that on immigration:

Texas' Latino voters do not support a border fence.

Despite the conventional wisdom among many commentators, the data couldn't be clearer. Our poll finds that 73 percent of Texas Latinos think a wall along the Texas-Mexico border is an ineffective policy idea that will not decrease illegal immigration into the United States.

On this issue, the survey finds agreement across party lines. Among Republicans, 70 percent are opposed to the border fence, as are 72 percent of independents and 74 percent of Democrats.

Constructing 70 miles of barrier along the Rio Grande Valley, a region that is more than 80 percent Mexican-American, has become a hotly contested issue. Homeowners face eminent domain lawsuits by the Department of Homeland Security, environmentalists argue that it is detrimental to the region, and the business community has been vocal about the impact on the economy.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Eddie Aldrete, senior vice president of IBC Bank, characterized the border wall idea as "a knee-jerk reaction by Congress. No one really studied the economic impacts, the environmental impacts." IBC Bank, which is the state's largest holding company and is headquartered in the border city of Laredo, is a Latino-owned business.

This month, Republican Gov. Rick Perry told the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce that a wall along the border would not solve the illegal immigration problem. Indeed, a prominent Latino Republican adviser, Lionel Sosa, has repeatedly stated that if the party does not change its rhetoric on immigration, it will lose the Latino vote.

Rather than construct a wall, 63 percent of Latinos in Texas support a pathway to citizenship as a means of addressing illegal immigration.

On March 4th and November 4th, all eyes will be on Latino voters.  Because they do not vote consistently with either party, appealing to them could be the life and death of many a candidate. 

Posted on Thursday, February 28 | Permalink