Thank you for your recent message about the immigration reform bill currently pending in the US Senate. I am sorry to learn of your opposition to this compromise, but I understand it is an issue about which many people are passionate.

One thing on which we all agree - our immigration system is fundamentally broken. I believe we must bring illegal immigrants out of the shadows and end the de facto Amnesty that we have today. It is a matter of maintaining our economic prosperity but also strengthening America's national security because we do not know the extent of how many illegal immigrants are really in our country; and because of that uncertainty, the head of the Department of Homeland Security strongly supports the bill.

Securing the border is the immediate goal of this bill. Before most of the other provisions in the bill can go into effect, we must expand Border Patrol to 20,000 agents with additional field and investigative agents; 370 miles of fencing and 300 miles of vehicle barriers must be erected; 105 ground-based radar and camera towers must be installed; unmanned aerial vehicles must be deployed; the "catch-and-release" policy must be ended; a tamper proof employee ID card must be in use; and other "triggers" must be met.

Some people would like to stop at that point, but the reality of the situation is that only a comprehensive solution can gather the votes to pass Congress and be signed by the President, and only a comprehensive approach will fix our broken system. That is why I have worked diligently with fellow conservatives, including Arizona Senator Jon Kyl and Georgia Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, on a comprehensive solution that will secure our borders, bring illegal immigrants out of the shadows under stiff requirements, and provide for better enforcement of our immigration laws. Under this proposed legislation, to be eligible for a green card illegal immigrants will be required to obey our laws, go to the back of the line of the lawful citizenship process, apply from their nation of origin, pass background checks, maintain employment, and pay over $5,000 in penalties and fees. That is exactly what the current proposal does and it is the only bill on the table capable of attracting enough support to become law. I have said numerous times that if someone has a viable alternative solution I would be happy to consider it; yet, no such proposal exists that would deal effectively with our failed immigration system.

This proposal is a starting point and all relevant amendments and changes will be considered by the Senate. Then, the House of Representatives will have to act as well. Pending differences will have to be worked out between the two chambers before the bill goes to the President for signature. In other words, we are at the beginning of this process and much can and will change before a final agreement is reached. But, the fundamental premise remains that only a comprehensive approach can attract the support to pass. I believe we must fix this urgent national security problem; doing nothing is not acceptable.

I am not running for President to be somebody, but to do something; to do the hard but necessary things, not the easy and needless things. I am running for President to protect our country from harm and defeat its enemies. I am not running to leave our biggest problems to an unluckier generation of leaders, but to fix them now, and fix them well. This compromise is a hard choice, but a necessary choice and when I am President, I will continue to make the difficult but necessary decisions to ensure our country remains the most powerful and prosperous country and the greatest force for good on earth.

Sincerely,
John McCain<http://www.johnmccain.com/images/mccainsig1.jpg>
John McCain