Nevadans support illegal immigration crackdown
 

Nevadans support illegal immigration crackdown

Poll respondents back Arizona-style measure for state
A whopping 85 percent of likely Republican primary voters would support an Arizona-like law in Nevada to crack down on illegal immigrants, according to a new poll that shows why GOP candidates in the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races have rushed to praise the border state.
Law enforcement authorities would be able to ask suspected illegal immigrants about their legal status if stopped or arrested for some other reason, according to the new Arizona law.
The Mason-Dixon poll commissioned by the Las Vegas Review-Journal asked likely GOP primary voters whether they would support or oppose having Nevada enact a similar law. Only 8 percent were opposed while another 7 percent were undecided, according to the survey.
The telephone poll of 500 likely GOP primary voters was taken Monday and Tuesday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Most Republicans in the hotly contested U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races have said Arizona was right to pass the law because the federal government hasn't done a good job of securing the long and porous U.S.-Mexico border and preventing people from coming across illegally.
Some candidates such as Danny Tarkanian and Chad Christensen in the U.S. Senate race have gone further, saying a law should be passed to eliminate "incentives" for illegal immigrants to live in the U.S., such as free education for children and emergency and other health care services.
Christensen has pushed the hardest, launching an initiative petition to ask voters to approve an Arizona-like law after Gov. Jim Gibbons refused his request to call a special legislative session.
Christensen, who is running in the back of the pack of top GOP contenders, said he may not meet a June deadline to get the 92,000-plus signatures needed to get the measure on the November ballot, but he would continue to push the issue whether he wins or loses the June 8 primary.
The Republican Gibbons, who is in a tough re-election race, has taken the most cautious position. He has said he supports Arizona's action but sees no need for such a law in Nevada since it's not a border state dealing with illegal immigrants who are criminals in the cross-border drug wars.
His opponents, former North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon and former federal Judge Brian Sandoval, both said they supported the Arizona law, which could be a risky position for Sandoval, who has been seeking the vote of Hispanics, who largely don't back such legislation.
Critics say the Arizona law could lead to racial profiling, or stopping people based on their looks alone.
U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, who is facing a difficult re-election battle and needs the Hispanic vote, has called on moving to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year. His Democratic Party proposal would focus on improving border security, but also could provide a path to U.S. citizenship for some of the estimated 12 million illegal residents living in the United States.
Reid has said he wants to bring illegal residents "out of the shadows" but also would require them to pay back taxes and penalties before going to the back of the line to seek U.S. citizenship.
Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/nevadans-su...-93662974.html