McCain defends immigration stance in Scranton

Sen. John McCain veered off-topic today in a speech in Scranton, focusing on an issue that has become a focal point in the district's congressional race, if not the presidential election: immigration.

"I'd like to talk about one more issue with you that has been important to the people in this audience and the leadership of our Irish-American organizations throughout America and that is immigration," McCain said at the tail end of his speech at the Scranton Cultural Center Monday.

McCain spent five minutes -- of the 20-minute speech -- explaining his push for a path to citizenship and a broad overhaul of the country's immigration laws last year and pledged to renew that fight should he win the presidency. "I knew that if I took on the issue of illegal immigration it was going to hurt me in my own party," he said. "We cannot have a continuing situation where there are 12 million people in this country illegally where there are broken borders."

He continued: "We will enact comprehensive immigration reform so that we can put people -- after they have to do certain things, obviously -- give them a path to citizenship in this country as part of an overall immigration reform package. That’s what I’ll do. That is what my leadership is about. This nation is stronger for the infusion of fresh blood and vitality that has come to this nation in wave after wave – Irish, Italians, Poles. Everybody who has come to this country has enriched our nation, including our Hispanic citizenry."

The aside was an interesting choice for McCain. Northeast Pennsylvania has become the epicenter of the illegal immigration fight after Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta proposed broad new laws to crack down on illegal immigrants two years ago. But to many in the area, McCain falls on the wrong side of the issue and it seemed an interesting that he'd highlight that difference in a visit to the area.

The choice, in the end, seemed designed to highlight McCain's maverick appeal at the risk of turning off the fervent anti-immigration crowd.

http://blogs.mcall.com/penn_ave/2008/09 ... fends.html