Press Archive

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 19, 2000

Latinos in Illinois Favor Democratic Congressional Candidates
Immigration, the War on Drugs, and Gun Safety are Important Issues this Election

SAN ANTONIO, TX - In a recent poll conducted by the William C. Velásquez Institute (WCVI), Latino registered voters in Illinois would vote 74.5% to 12.9% for a U.S. Congressional Democratic candidate if the elections were held today.

Regarding issues, immigration provoked strong feelings among Latinos in Illinois. When asked, 90.8% to 5.6% support granting green cards to all undocumented workers who have lived in the U.S. since before 1986 and have not been convicted of serious criminal offenses. Similarly, when asked, 82.4% to 10.2% support legislation that Congress is currently proposing that would legalize approximately 1 million undocumented persons currently living in the US. "Latinos in Illinois clearly support immigration legislation, a topic candidates have refused to address in detail," comments WCVI President, Antonio González.

In addition, Latinos in Illinois are increasingly critical on drug issues. When asked, 71.2% to 13.5% Latinos felt the issue of drugs is a larger issue today than 10 years ago. When asked about the "War on Drugs" and its effectiveness in curbing the drug flow into the U.S., Latinos said it was effective by 38.8% to 53.3% who feel it has not been effective. In another drug policy related question, lifting the ban on the federally funded needle exchange programs, 48.5% Latinos believe the government should lift the ban, with 33.8% opposed and 17.7% having no opinion. In terms of a recent authorization that would allow $1.32 billion for counter-drug activities in Colombia, in which three-quarters of the money will be used for Columbia's military and police, Illinois Latinos are divided with 45% to 40.3% who disapprove. "When it comes to drug issues, Latinos are increasingly critical, it has become a larger issue, they favor providing clean needles, and are split on sending money to Colombia," said González.

A final high-ranking preference among Latinos includes the issue of firearms. When asked:

In addition, when asked, 87.5% to 10% favor laws requiring that all guns be sold with a trigger lock. "This is an important issue in the State of Illinois and Latinos are clearly saying that gun safety is important and should be addressed," concludes González.

The WCVI survey was conducted by a team of trained bilingual pollsters operating from the WCVI call center in San Antonio, Texas. WCVI staff designed the instrument and managed the interviewers. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3%. The entire survey will be posted on www.wcvi.org.

GO TO COMPLETE ILLINOIS SURVEY RESULTS