All candidates' immigration stances
http://politics.nytimes.com/election-gu ... index.html
The Presidential Candidates on Immigration
As the Congress debates a comprehensive immigration bill, the politics of the 2008 presidential campaign is playing a big role in the proceedings. Below is a look at what various candidates have said on the issue in the past. While many agree on the larger themes, disagreements about the details are likely to arise as the debate proceeds. - FARHANA HOSSAIN, BEN WERSCHKUL, and SARAH WHEATON
THE CANDIDATE STATEMENTS ON THE BORDER FENCE AND BORDER SECURITY STATEMENTS ON ILLEGAL ALIENS
ALREADY IN THE COUNTRY ACTIONS ON THE ISSUE
Joseph R.
Biden Jr.
Democrat
[Favored Immigration Reform Act of 2006 because] first and foremost, this bill enhances our control over the border, allowing us to better deal with future illegal immigrants as well as drug traffickers and potential terrorists.
May 25, 2006 [Favored Immigration Reform Act of 2006 because it offered] a rational and limited guest worker program with an electronic verification system for employers. Under its provisions, an employer could only hire a guest worker if the guest worker has a tamper-proof identification card and the employer can demonstrate that no American could be hired to do the job. If employers violated these terms, they would be subject to criminal prosecution..
May 25, 2006 Voted yes on the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006," which would have created a guest worker program and addressed border security issues.
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Voted yes on the "Secure Fence Act of 2006," which created 700 miles of new fence along the US/Mexico border.
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Hillary Rodham Clinton
Democrat It is unconscionable to think that in a post-9/11 world we do not know precisely who is entering and exiting our country. Our homeland security requires that we know the identities of all people who cross our borders. In reforming our broken system, our efforts must be multifaceted and comprehensive.
March 8, 2006
A comprehensive solution to our immigration crisis must include strengthening our borders.
May 1, 2007 I'm in favor of comprehensive immigration reform, which includes tightening our border security, sanctioning employers to employ undocumented immigrants, helping our communities deal with the costs that come from illegal immigration, getting the 12 million or so immigrants out of the shadows. That's very important to me.
After 9/11, we've got to know who's in this country. And then giving them a chance to pay a fine, pay back taxes, learn English and stand in line to be eligible for a legal status in this country.
April 26, 2007 Co-sponsored the Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2007, which would lift the current waitng period of five years for federal health care benefits for legal immigrants.
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Voted yes on the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006," which would have created a guest worker program and addressed border security issues.
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Voted yes on the "Secure Fence Act of 2006," which created 700 miles of new fence along the US/Mexico border.
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Chris Dodd
Democrat I accept the basic idea of better border security you need to be talking with [Mexico] to get cooperation, border security can't be on just one side of the border and then I believe we should have more meaningful penalties on employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers, that may do more than anything else.
May 3, 2007 I don't like a blanket guest worker program. I could make a strong case in agriculture or in certain other areas I'd like the ability to have a valve on that one. Demonstrate that I really have a problem and I'd be willing to loosen the valve but I'd be unwilling to have that as a general proposition because I'm still not convinced that raising minimum wages and doing other things, that Americans won't do certain work. So I'm mixed on that question. Then on the pathway to citizenship, how else do you deal with this? We aren't going to round up 11-12 million people, we're just not going to.
May 3, 2007 Voted yes on the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006," which would have created a guest worker program and addressed border security issues.
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Voted yes on the "Secure Fence Act of 2006," which created 700 miles of new fence along the US/Mexico border.
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John Edwards
Democrat
I do think that what's happening on our southern border is a mess and it's a very serious problem. America needs to, with both money technology and people, do a much more effective job of policing our border than we're doing now and we need to be aggressive about it, in my judgement. I think though, that has be married to a policy that embraces who we are, which is, we are a country of immigrants.
March 20, 2007 I think [immigrants] ought to be allowed to earn American citizenship. Now I use the word, "earn" because I mean earn. I think if they came here illegally, then they ought to have to pay a fineAnother one thats a little more controversial is, but I believe it, is I think they ought to have to learn to speak English. I would allow a path for them to be able to earn American citizenship, and I think you have to do all these things together, not just one part of it.
March 10, 2007 Co-Sponsored the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2003, which would have allowed states to give illegal immigrants in-state tuition for higher education and let the homeland security secretary confer legal resident status on some illegal immigrant students.
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Co-Sponsored the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2001, which was drafted after Sept. 11 and tightened border security in the context of combating terrorism.
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Mike Gravel
Democrat Our nations borders should not be fenced nor should they be militarized. We can beef-up the Border Patrol and the Coast Guard, if need be.
May 21, 2006
Senator Gravel favors protecting our borders and monitoring the flow of illegal immigrants into our country.
gravel2008.us The 10-plus million illegal immigrants living here should be put on the road to citizenship, providing they do not run afoul of the law. To expel them would be national tragedy equaling the Trail of Tears of President Jackson. However, the longterm solution and that is what really concerns usis the issue of helping Mexico and the Central American nations secure economic growth and prosperity at home
May 21, 2006
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Dennis Kucinich
Democrat I oppose giving the Department of Defense control over border security. In our democracy, it is critical that we preserve the distinction between our armed forces and domestic law enforcement. Also, I am concerned about the threat of vigilantes intimidating or attacking individuals at the border. Border security is a job for state and local authorities, not soldiers or vigilantes.
Kucinich.us I am a strong supporter of the USA Family Act (HR 440). It offers immigrants a clear road map to legal status in the United States. Among other changes, it grants legal permanent residence to immigrants who have been living in the U.S. for five or more years.
-- Kucinich.us Voted no on the "Secure Fence Act of 2006," which created 700 miles of new fence along the US/Mexico border.
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Voted no on the "Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005," that made it a federal crime to live in the U.S. illegaly and didn't provide any options for current illegal immigrants to gain legal status.
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Barack Obama
Democrat
We're going to have to secure our borders. And this past year, the Senate invested billions of dollars in improving border security. I think that's important because I think all Americans think that we should be able to regulate who comes in and out of this country in an orderly way, not only for the sake of our sovereignty, but also to avoid the hundreds of people who have been dying across the desert, the enormous costs that are placed on border states and border towns. I also think that we've got to be serious about employers' obligations to check to see whether somebody is here legally or not...There hasn't been a serious program of employer sanctions. That has to be put in place.
March 24, 2007 [We] have to recognize that we've got 12 million undocumented workers who are already here. Many of them living their lives alongside other Americans. Their kids are going to school. Many of the kids, in fact, were born in this country and are citizens. And so, it's absolutely vital that we bring those families out of the shadows and that we give them the opportunity to travel a pathway to citizenship. It's not automatic citizenship. It's not amnesty. They would have to pay a fine. They would have to not have engaged in any criminal activity. They would have to learn English. They would have to go to the back of the line so that they did not get citizenship before those persons who had come here legally.
March 24, 2007 Co-Sponsored the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2007, which would allow states to give illegal immigrants in-state tuition for higher education and let the homeland security secretary confer legal resident status on some illegal immigrant students.
Co-sponsored the Citizenship Promotion Act 2007, which would require the federal government to freeze the fee that legal immigrants pay for each application for services at current levels and called for $80 million a year to promote citizenship.
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Voted yes on the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006," which would have created a guest worker program and addressed border security issues.
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Voted yes on the "Secure Fence Act of 2006," which created 700 miles of new fence along the US/Mexico border.
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Bill Richardson
Democrat Securing the border must come first -- but we must understand that building a fence will not in any way accomplish that objective. No fence ever built has stopped history and this one wouldn't either. The Congress should abandon the fence, lock, stock, and barrel[t]his is what we should do: immediately put enough National Guard troops at the border to keep it covered until we can secure it with Border Patrol officers. That should take no longer than three years.
December 7, 2006 The McCain-Kennedy legislation passed by the Senate this year provided an excellent framework for a guest worker program: pay an application fee, undergo a medical examination and a background check, the initial work period would be three years and it could be extended for up to three more years, if you're out of work for more than 45 days you must return to your home country or last country of residence [t]he number of guest workers allowed at any one time must be based upon the needs of the U.S. economy. The goal must be to meet demand for jobs that go unfilled by American citizens, and no more.
December 7, 2006 As governor of New Mexico, implemented a policy to grant drivers licenses without regard to legal residency.
As governor of New Mexico, was among the first to meet President Bush's request to secure the border with National Guard troops.
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THE CANDIDATE STATEMENTS ON THE BORDER FENCE AND BORDER SECURITY STATEMENTS ON ILLEGAL ALIENS
ALREADY IN THE COUNTRY ACTIONS ON THE ISSUE
Sam Brownback
Republican What we need to do is secure the border with a fence, and then interior-wise, we need to make sure that that Social Security number means something. We already have a Social Security number we dont need a new system and we dont need a new ID card.
-- May 3, 2007 we've got to somehow work together to see a work visa program that will allow people to get into a legal system, not an illegal system. I mean that's what people really get irritated about. It's not that people come into the country legally, it's that they come in illegally.
-- May 15, 2007 Co-Sponsored and voted yes on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which would have created a guest worker program and addressed border security issues.
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Voted yes on the "Secure Fence Act of 2006," which created 700 miles of new fence along the US/Mexico border.
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John McCain
Republican One thing we would all agree on, the status quo is not acceptable. We have to secure our borders. But we also need a temporary worker program, and we have to dispose of the issue of 12 million people who are in this country illegally. This issue is an important and compelling one, and it begins with national security. But we also need to address it comprehensively.
-- May 3, 2007 [W]e need to have a guest worker program.our proposal is basically you can get a tamper-proof visa after your job has been proven that it cannot be filled by an American citizen. Now, what do you do with the 11 million people that are already here?[M]ake them earn citizenship because they have broken our laws My friends, thats not amnesty. Amnesty is forgiveness. Were not forgiving anything.
-- April 7, 2007 Co-Sponsored the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2007, which would allow states to give illegal immigrants in-state tuition for higher education and let the homeland security secretary confer legal resident status on some illegal immigrant students.
Co-Sponsored and voted yes on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which would have created a guest worker program and addressed border security issues.
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Voted yes on the "Secure Fence Act of 2006," which created 700 miles of new fence along the US/Mexico border.
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James Gilmore
Republican
You have to think about the borders. We have porous borders. It's creating the entire immigration problem. We have got a lot that we have to address in this country to make sure that we are secure, not just in the ports, but in the entire border of the United States.
-- Sept 13, 2006 We have to get control of the situation. Then we can deal with the issue of immigration reform.
-- February 14, 2007
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Rudy Giuliani
Republican
Related Article
Giuliani Shifts His Tone on Immigration (April 22, 2007) So we need a fence. We need a technological fence; we need a tamper-proof ID card. And we need a way that people who are working in this country can come forward, sign up for the tamper-proof ID card, get in the database and start paying their way.
-- May 15, 2007 If anybody is here illegally, they should never get to be put ahead of a line of people that are here legally. They should have to pay a penalty, because there should not be amnesty. It's a civil wrong. Civil wrongs are compensated by paying penalties. They should pay the back taxes. And if you ultimately find a way to make them citizens, then there should be a very, very strong requirement that they speak English, read English, write English, and understand American history.
-- March 23, 2007 As mayor of New York City, filed a suit in federal court challenging a provision in a welfare law that allowed city employees to turn in illegal immigrants who seek services like police protection, hospital care and public education.
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As mayor of New York City, denounced a law that cut off Social Security benefits, food stamps and health benefits to legal immigrants who were not citizens and lobbied Congressmen to change it.
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Mike Huckabee
Republican I think this can't be brought to a rational discussion until we first bring security to the borders. I think that this has to be the very first step that the president takes, is secure the borders, physically or electronically so that you stop this porous situation where people come across at will. Until that happens, all of the discussion of what we need to be doing on this side with the existing immigrants becomes moot.
-- April 13, 2007 We shouldn't have amnesty where we just say, "Fine, everybody's good, we're going to let it go." We should have a process where people can pay the penalties, step up and accept responsibility for not being here legally.
But here's the point. The objective is not to be punitive. The objective is to make things right. Right for us. Right for them.
-- February 7, 2007 Sponsored a resolution, adopted by the Southern Governors Association, which, among other things, recommended implementing a farm labor system to import farm workers from Canada and Mexico.
Proposed a bill that would have allowed children of undocumented immigrants who graduated high school to qualify to receive a state scholarship to attend an Arkansas college. That bill didn't pass the state legislature.
As governor of Arkansas, opposed a proposal banning state-funded services to illegal immigrants.
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Duncan Hunter
Republican I built the border fence in San Diego. When I built that fence, we had massive illegal immigration across the border. We built the border fence; we reduced illegal immigration and smuggling of narcotics by more than 90 percent. And the crime rate in the city of San Diego fell by 50 percentthis administration has a case of the slows on border enforcement. If we have border enforcement, we will be able at that point to start to regulate the internal problem that we've got. Becauseit's not just an immigration problem, it's a homeland security problem.
-- May 15, 2007 Let me just say, right now we have a house with no sides on it. The guest worker program is how you adjust a front door. We've got a house that's got a front door and it doesn't have any sides. That means people stream across the border. We had 155,000 people come in last year from Mexico-who...weren't citizens of Mexico. They came from every country in the world. So you have to have some control of the border before any meaningful change in policy can be made.
-- October 30, 2006 Played a 'leading role' in the construction of a 14-mile double fence on the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego.
Co-sponsored and voted yes on the "Secure Fence Act of 2006," which created 700 miles of new fence along the US/Mexico border.
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Voted yes on the "Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005," that made it a federal crime to live in the U.S. illegaly and didn't provide any options for current illegal immigrants to gain legal status.
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Ron Paul
Republican
The talk must stop. We must secure our borders now. A nation without secure borders is no nation at all. It makes no sense to fight terrorists abroad when our own front door is left unlocked.
-- ronpaul2008.com We must do whatever it takes to control entry into our country before we undertake complicated immigration reform proposals.
-- ronpaul2008.com Voted yes on the "Secure Fence Act of 2006," which created 700 miles of new fence along the US/Mexico border.
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Voted yes on the "Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005," that made it a federal crime to live in the U.S. illegaly and didn't provide any options for current illegal immigrants to gain legal status.
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Mitt Romney
Republican My view, you have to secure the border, number one, have an employment verification system, number two, and number three, say to those that are there illegally, get in line with everybody else; you're not going to have a special doorway, any particular advantage, by having come here illegally, to become a permanent resident.
-- May 15, 2007
There's no question as we deal with the issue of immigration, having a national special card that indicates a person's name, date, birth date,
biographic information, and an indication of their work status will allow us to know who's here legally, who's not, who can work and who
cannot.
-- May 3, 2007
The first thing I'd like them to do is to register, so I know how many there are, and what their circumstances are. And on that basis, we can see who would receive temporary employment visas and who would instead be required to return home.
-- March 17, 2007 As governor of Massachusetts, opposed giving drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.
Vetoed a bill allowing the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at the states universities.
Signed an agreement with federal authorities in Dec. 2006, allowing Massachusetts State Police troopers to arrest and seek deportation of suspected illegal aliens they encounter over the course of their normal duties.
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Tom Tancredo
Republican I want to see our capacity on that Southern border up to about 20,000 that would be a combination of both troops, but actively involved with protecting the border.
-- June 5, 2006 If you're in this country illegally, the penalty, yes, is deportation. And there are easier ways to handle it. We can by attrition, that is, not giving people jobs if they're here illegally. Millions will return home voluntarily. Others that don't, you have to deport. Because you know why? It is the law. Mr. President, hello. It's the law. Do you understand those words?
-- March 15, 2007 Co-sponsored and voted yes on the "Secure Fence Act of 2006," which created 700 miles of new fence along the US/Mexico border.
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Voted yes on the "Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005," that made it a federal crime to live in the U.S. illegaly and didn't provide any options for current illegal immigrants to gain legal status.
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Tommy Thompson
Republican We have to continue building the barrier. We have to have controlled access.
April 7, 2007 The truth of the matter is, we have laws on the books, and you should not be able to have amnesty. I think what they really need to do is, they have to go back to their country and apply. They've got to go to the back of the line and allow those individuals who come into this country legally really to have preference.
Feb 5, 2007 Signed a Midwestern Governors' Conference resolution which called for the repeal of restrictive border entry-exit control systems with Canada because of its "adverse impact" on trade and cross-border traffic.
Giuliani divided on immigration, but English mandatory
Giuliani Seems Slightly Divided on Immigration, but English Definitely Mandatory
Oct. 1, 2007
Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani began this week's campaign trail at a now-infamous cheesesteak stand in South Philadelphia. The stand garnered considerable press coverage in June 2006, after posting signs asking that customers speak English.
The two small signs at Geno's Steaks read "This is America: When ordering please speak English.''
Giuliani has long believed that all immigrants wanting to live in the U.S. permanently should learn English. In 2006, he also vehemently opposed President Bush's desire to offer temporary work visas to illegal immigrants. More recently, however, Giuliani and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney have both spoken favorably about that same visa legislation.
Then too, during his stint as New York mayor, Giuliani often cited the local contributions of illegal aliens. In 1994, he told the New York Times, "If you come here, and you work hard, and you happen to be in an undocumented status, you're one of the people who we want in this city."
Monday, Giuliani said "Immigration is the best thing we have going for us. We need new people. We need people who are going to inform us, give us new ideas, but it has to be legal."
Despite these somewhat conflicting statements, Giuliani insists his stance on immigration has never changed during his political career. Although he's more consistent than some politicians have been, we have a sneaking suspicion that he tends to bend a little, in whichever direction will garner more votes from the audience of the moment. He can't open his arms to hardworking illegals and at the same time tell us that only legal immigration is acceptable. Can he? Maybe we're missing something here.
In any event, if he's elected President, Giuliani promises to vigilantly track immigrants by implementing tamperproof identity cards, to bolster U.S.-Mexico border fencing and high-tech surveillance, and to deport more criminal illegal immigrants.
Joe Vento, who owns Geno's Cheesesteak stand, explained that he posted the signs because a growing number of customers could only speak a foreign language. His own grandparents, he said, arrived from Sicily, Italy in the 1925 and did their best to learn English.
He did add that no customer has ever been refused for not speaking English.
A discrimination case by the city's human relations commission is pending against Geno's. Giuliani said that this case simply highlighted the need for one universal language, for practical as well as patriotic reasons.
Aside from his apparent support of Bush's plans to legalize illegals, Giuliani, overall, seems to be toughening his view on immigration to win more Republican votes.
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[Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has accused rival Rudy Giuliani of making New York a haven for illegal immigrants when Giuliani ran the city. Giuliani inherited — and staunchly defended — a policy from his predecessor Ed Koch that barred city agencies from sharing information with the federal government on the immigration status of residents who use city services unless there was evidence of a crime.]
Read Dr. Chuck Baldwin's comments on Rudy Giuliani.
