LOS ANGELES (AP) – A majority of people who described themselves as legal immigrants for a poll released Tuesday said they believe anti-immigration sentiment is growing and are alarmed by the tone of the debate over reform.

Just under one-third of them said Congress and President Bush are doing a good job on the issue.

The findings come as the U.S. Senate considers immigration reform proposals, including legislation approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday that would clear the way for 11 million illegal aliens to seek U.S. citizenship.

Lawmakers are also considering legislation that would make it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally, impose new penalties on employers who hire illegals and build more fences along the U.S.-Mexican border.

The poll was conducted by the firm Bendixen & Associates between Feb. 24 and March 21. Researchers said they interviewed 800 people who described themselves as legal immigrants in 47 states and who were reached by random digit dialing in communities with large numbers of immigrants. The said the margin of error was plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

When told about reform proposals in Congress, 68 percent of poll respondents said they supported temporary work permits for illegal immigrants and a way for them to apply for residency after learning English and paying a fine.

That seems to conflict with arguments by some lawmakers who argue that a legalization program would be unfair to legal residents who played by the rules.

“Nobody comes here to get on welfare,” said Perias Pillay, 43, who was 18 when he immigrated legally from Malaysia. He joined a massive immigration rally in Los Angeles. “They come here to work, and as long as we need workers we should let them come.”

The immigration debate has sparked rallies around the nation by immigrant rights supporters, including the weekend rally in Los Angeles that drew an estimated 500,000 people. On Tuesday, hundreds of students in California and Texas staged a second day of school walkouts in protest.

The poll was commissioned by New America Media, a nonprofit San Francisco-based umbrella organization for more than 700 ethnic media outlets. Co-sponsors included the Center for American Progress, a liberal-leaning research group, and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, an umbrella civil rights organization.

More than 60 percent of those interviewed said they were alarmed by the tone of the immigration reform debate. Sixty-seven percent said they believed anti-immigration sentiment was growing.

Asked about lawmakers’ handling of immigration issues, 32 percent of those surveyed said Congress and President Bush were doing a good job. Democrats received the highest approval with 38 percent; Republicans garnered 22 percent.

On jobs, 81 percent of those surveyed said illegal immigrants accept low-end jobs that Americans don’t want, and 73 percent said illegal immigrants aided the economy by supplying low-cost labor.

Delia Adene, 48, who immigrated legally from Mexico and joined the Los Angeles rally, said she was worried about the rhetoric.

“I feel like people see us as criminals now because we want to help our families,” Adene said. “We do need more control of the border, but politicians need to talk about this with human justice in mind.”

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AP-ES-03-28-06 1334EST

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