The Hiller Instinct: 7NEWS/Suffolk Poll on immigration

Our exclusive 7NEWS-Suffolk University poll shows 94% of the state's registered voters are aware Arizona is cracking down on illegal immigrants...

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger quipped, "I was going to give a commencement speech in Arizona but with my accent, I was afraid they would try to deport me back to Austria, so I cancelled that idea right away."

Massachusetts isn't laughing. According to our poll, 53% of the state's registered voters support the Arizona law, which permits police there to check the immigration status of people they stop for violating other laws.

But 50% do not want Massachusetts to have a law similar to Arizona's:

"Arizona has a border problem. Back home in Massachusetts we don't have a border problem. Voters don't think it's necessary to enact a law. It's a great lesson in states' rights." Suffolk University pollster, Professor David Paleologos said.

Still, 63% of state voters think everyone in America should be required to produce documents proving they're here legally...

"It is illegal to be an illegal immigrant in Massachusetts"...says the governor, but Bay State voters aren't convinced.

Why else would 84% say Beacon Hill should force everyone to prove their status before they get any state benefits, like public housing?

And a final finding: asked about the recent decision giving President Obama's aunt political asylum, after she lived in south Boston illegally for years, 58% said it was the right decision.

Like many people, Massachusetts has a mixed mind about immigration.

We're not haters, but we don't want to be suckers.

Full poll results here

(Copyright (c) 2010 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)