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U.S. Hispanics Allege Discrimination
- Many Hispanic residents of the U.S. believe they are not being treated fairly, according to a poll by the Pew Hispanic Centre. 58 per cent of respondents think discrimination is a major problem that prevents Hispanics from succeeding in the United States.
In March, the Pew Hispanic Center calculated the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States at somewhere between 11.5 million to 12 million. 54 per cent of respondents believe the current debate over immigration policy has made discrimination against Hispanics more of a problem.
On May 15, U.S. president George W. Bush addressed the nation to discuss his immigration proposals. Bush outlined five clear objectives: securing the borders, creating a temporary worker program, holding employers to account for the workers they hire, allowing illegal immigrants "who have roots" in the country to apply for citizenship, and helping newcomers assimilate into American society.
On May 25, the U.S. Senate voted 62-36 to pass an immigration reform bill that places illegal immigrants in three different groups depending on the amount of time they have spent in the U.S. The plan favours persons who have lived in the U.S. for more than five years, who would have the option of becoming citizens in six years after paying penalties and back taxes, learning English, and passing a background check.
On Jul. 14, Republican Tennessee senator Bill Frist—the Senate majority leader—said the chances of passing a comprehensive immigration reform this year are "less than 50-50, realistically."
Polling Data
In general, do you think discrimination against (Hispanics/Latinos) is a major problem, minor problem, or not a problem in preventing (Hispanics/Latinos) in general from succeeding in America?
Major problem | 58% |
Minor problem | 24% |
Not a problem | 15% |
Don't know | 2% |
Refused | 1% |
Do you think that the debate over immigration policy in the U.S. has made discrimination against (Hispanics/Latinos) more of a problem, less of a problem or has it had no effect on discrimination?
Debate over policy has made it more of a problem | 54% |
Debate over policy has made it less of a problem | 9% |
Debate over policy has had no effect | 15% |
Discrimination against Latinos is not a problem | 15% |
Don't know | 2% |
Refused | 1% |
Source: Pew Hispanic Center
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 2,000 Hispanic American adults, conducted from Jun. 5 to Jul. 3, 2006. Margin of error is 3.8 per cent.
