Hispanic Views on Immigration a Surprise

Conventional political wisdom holds that immigration is not as big an issue in New Mexico as it is in some other Southwestern states – especially Arizona and Texas – because many Hispanic families in New Mexico have been here for generations and trace their roots to Spanish conquistadors, not Mexican immigrants.

In other words, a lot of New Mexico Hispanics didn’t cross a border – legally or illegally – to get here, so they don’t care as much about the often volatile issues related to immigration policy. But a new study unveiled at the University of New Mexico last week suggests that is changing.

A poll conducted by Latino Decisions, a Seattle-based polling firm specializing in Hispanic opinion, and America’s Voice, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that works to secure rights for illegal immigrants, found that immigration was second only to the economy among political issues important to New Mexico Hispanics. The survey also found some nuance among Hispanics on the hot-button subject of driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants.

The poll of 400 registered New Mexico Hispanic voters on Oct. 3 included 56 percent Democrats, 19 percent Republicans and 9 percent independent or other parties, which roughly mirrors the state’s Hispanic voter registration.

It found that 47 percent of the respondents said Congress and the president of the United States should make the economy and jobs their top concern. Thirty percent of those polled said immigration should be the nation’s top policy priority, while 18 percent cited health care.

“The polling is crystal clear: immigration matters to Latino voters here in New Mexico,” said Christine Sierra, a UNM political science professor and the director of the Southwest Hispanic Research Institute.

Gabriel Sanchez, a UNM political science professor who is the head of research at Latino Decisions, said the poll results surprised him. “Many folks – myself included – saw these numbers and said ‘wow, seriously? Immigration policy is that salient to New Mexico voters?’ ” Sanchez said.

There is a logical reason for the shifting attitudes. The poll showed that nearly 60 percent of New Mexico Hispanics know someone who is undocumented, and nearly half know someone who would qualify for citizenship under the DREAM Act if it were passed by Congress. The DREAM Act would allow children of illegal immigrants, who came to America with their parents, to become eligible for citizenship if they graduate from high school and attend college or serve in the military for at least two years.

“This isn’t just a policy discussion; it’s become personal to a lot of Latino voters,” Sanchez said.

He also said the sometimes negative tenor of the debate surrounding immigration reform could play a role in the shifting opinions among New Mexico Hispanics. Sanchez cited a law in neighboring Arizona – sometimes called the “show me your papers” statute – that requires police, while enforcing other laws, to question the immigration status of those they suspect are in the country illegally.

“Latino voters who maybe five or 10 years ago didn’t think much about immigration policy, they now pay attention to what’s happening in neighboring states,” Sanchez said. “They say if a law like that is implemented in New Mexico, all of a sudden I’m going to have to worry about it, regardless of whether my family has been here from the 1500s or not. If I look like an immigrant, I’m going to be affected by these kinds of laws.”

Sierra said while many New Mexicans can trace their heritage back four centuries, more and more immigrants are coming to New Mexico from old Mexico. She suggested the integration of New Mexico natives with new arrivals probably factored into the poll results.

“No doubt some of this comes from the increasing immigrant population in the state,” Sierra said. “There is also another phenomenon that is very important to acknowledge, and that is the existence of mixed-status families. We have families in this state who are composed or comprised of U.S. citizens, permanent residents and undocumented people.”

Interestingly, 70 percent of Hispanics polled said they support allowing illegal immigrants to get a driver’s license – but only with stricter requirements than those in the current law, including beefed-up identity and residency requirements, more frequent renewals and tougher penalties for fraud.

A Journal poll in 2010 showed that 72 percent of all New Mexico voters – regardless of ethnicity – opposed New Mexico’s driver’s license law. Twenty percent favored the law, 6 percent had mixed feelings and 2 percent didn’t know or wouldn’t say. The same poll found that 67 percent of New Mexico Hispanics opposed the state’s existing driver’s license law enacted under former Gov. Bill Richardson. New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez wants to the Legislature to repeal the law.

The overall poll results suggest that New Mexico politicians, some of whom might have been a bit dismissive of voter sensitivity to immigration reform proposals in the past, may want to rethink that approach.

“These data indicate less cleavage and more consensus on the politics of immigration in the state,” Sierra said. “I would suggest we are moving toward a co-mingling of Latinos, their quality of life, their future and their welfare.”

Email: mcoleman@abqjournal.com. Go to www.ABQjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.