CPI #6

May 3, 2000
  • Percent of Americans who believe Elian Gonzalez’s father should be granted permanent custody of the six-year-old boy: 76.1
  • Contributions from leaders of anti-Castro Cuban American National Foundation, their families, and the Free Cuba PAC, to Sen. Connie Mack (R-FL), lead sponsor on a bill to grant citizenship to Elian: $150,000.2
  • How Sen. Mack voted on the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which imposed tough new penalties on illegal immigrants including speedier deportations: Yes.3
  • Number of illegal immigrants the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service removed from country in 1999: 179,367.4
  • Number of immigrants who would be allowed into the United States this year to work for the high-tech industries if legislation introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) succeeds: 195,000.5
  • Contributions to Sen. Hatch from computer industry: $68,869.6
  • Total contributions to federal campaigns and parties from computer industry, which is lobbying to employ high-tech foreign workers: $8 million.7
  • Chance an American favors tripling current federal campaign contributions limits from $1,000 to $3,000: 1:11.8
  • Chance a member of the House of Representatives has voted to raise federal campaign contribution limits from $1,000 to $3,000: 1:3.9
  • Chance an American favors giving full public financing - “Clean Money” - to federal candidates who raise no private money and abide by spending limits: 2:3.10

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1 ABC News Poll. April 24, 2000. N=505 adults nationwide. Field work by TNS Intersearch. MoE +/- 4.5. Posted at www.pollingreport.com/news.htm#Elian.
2 Includes contributions between 1979 and present, analyzed by St. Petersburg Times, based on Federal Election Commission records and the Center for Public Integrity. See Sydney P. Freedberg, “Exile Lobby Generous to Those Who’d Keep Elian in the U.S.” St. Petersburg Times, January 28, 2000, p. 1B.
3 Roll Call Vote #108, 104th Congress, 2nd session, May 2, 1996.
4 Figures for fiscal year 1999, www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/aboutins/statistics/msrfeb00/REMOVAL.HTM.
5 S.2045 would