Feb. - March 2009

Four questions related to immigration policy were asked in the February-March 2009 poll. Results for these questions suggest that there is strong support for going after those who arguably facilitate illegal immigration. Sixty three percent strongly support requiring businesses to verify the immigration status of every worker and fine businesses if they are caught intentionally employing undocumented or illegal immigrants (overall, 78% support this measure).

There is also support for ending practices that are seen as "accommodating" immigrants (illegal or otherwise). For example, 59% strongly support ending in-state tuition at Texas public colleges and universities for undocumented or illegal immigrants (overall, 69% support this measure). Similarly, 59% support passing an "English-only' amendment to the Texas Constitution and 48% support ending bilingual education in Texas public schools. As in previous surveys, when asked an open-ended question about the most important issues facing Texas, issues related to immigration and border security was the second most prominent category of responses (25%), this time trailing only the economy.