Is the immigration reform bill really that politically charged?

Whether you use the term illegal immigrants, undocumented immigrants or unauthorized migrants, you’re more than likely referring to the group of 1.6 million people who are currently considered to be here without permission by the government. And if you’re like this group of people, you’ve probably been sitting on pins and needles these last few months, waiting for Congress to decide the fate of a bill that could mean sweeping immigration reform across the nation.

But waiting for the bill to receive the correct number of votes to pass has left an enormous amount of time for media outlets to make assumptions about the hold up and who is to blame. Depending on which media source you listen to, the general consensus is that Republicans are to blame for the hold up in Congress. But is that really the case? We wanted to take a closer look for ourselves.

According to a recent survey conducted here in Florida, roughly 71 percent of Florida voters favor the concept of the bipartisan immigration reform plans. Even more surprising, Florida Republicans overwhelmingly back the proposal with 43 percent saying that they “strongly support” the measure. It just goes to show that the situation may not be as politically charges as the nation may think.

As many will agree, immigration law reform recently has boiled down to political parties on both sides arguing for the rights of present and future immigrants. They want to make sure that they are receiving the rights they deserve while maintaining the integrity of the laws as well. But according to the same survey, 59 percent of Hispanics supported the current restrictions in the reform bill–the same restrictions some politicians have argued are “anti-immigrant.” It will now be a matter of convincing politicians of the voter’s wishes so as not to drag out this reform any longer than it has.

Source: The Miami Herald, “Poll: 71 percent of Fla. voters back immigration reform,” Marc Caputo, June 13, 2013