2008 Presidential Election and Immigration

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Barack Obama Barack Obama supported the Bush-backed immigration reform legislation, which would have increased funding and improved border security technology, improved enforcement of existing laws, and provided a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. He voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. Obama has played a leading role in crafting comprehensive immigration reform and believes that the broken immigration system can only be fixed by putting politics aside and offering a solution that strengthens our security while reaffirming our heritage as a nation of immigrants. Barack Obama supports a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.		John McCain John McCain co-sponsored the Bush-backed immigration reform legislation, which would have increased funding and improved border security technology, improved enforcement of existing laws, and provided a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. Voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. McCain backs a temporary guest worker program and voted to allow illegal immigrants to participate in Social Security. He promises to secure the borders but says the issue should not overshadow the U.S. alliance with Mexico. John McCain supports a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.
Hillary Clinton "A comprehensive solution to our immigration crisis must include strengthening our borders, greater cooperation with our neighbors, strict but fair enforcement of our laws, federal assistance to state and local governments, strict penalties for those who exploit undocumented workers, and a path to earned legal status for those who are here, working hard, paying taxes, respecting the law, and willing to meet a high bar, including learning English." Hillary voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border as part of her commitment to secure our borders. Hillary support comprehensive immigration reform. Hillary Clinton supports a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.		Mike Huckabee Mike Huckabee supports the Bush-backed immigration plan that provides a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. He believes some Republican plans to deport illegal immigrants are "unworkable." Huckabee calls for sealing U.S. borders but criticizes many anti-immigration arguments as race-baiting and mean-spirited. When he was governor, Huckabee held the following positions on illegal immigration: He supported higher education benefits for children of illegal immigrants, opposed a federal roundup of illegals from his state in 2005, opposed a 2001 bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote in the state, and in 2001, a member of his administration pushed for legislation to grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Mike Huckabee supports a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.
John Edwards John Edwards calls for tightening security on the border with Mexico while increasing diplomatic efforts to stem illegal immigration and providing a clean read map to legalization and citizenship for illegal immigrants. John calls for working with Mexico to better control the border and stop illegal trafficking. “I do think that somebody who came here illegally…should pay a fine. I don’t think we should pretend it didn’t happen and the second thing is — more controversial — I think they should learn to speak English.” John Edwards supports a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.		Mitt Romney Mitt Romney opposes the Bush-backed guest worker plan, saying it goes too far in expanding future immigration levels. He calls for a better system for employers to verify legal status of workers. Mitt opposes allowing illegal immigrants to gain legal status apart from existing procedures available to all non-citizens. He also opposes in-state tuition breaks for illegal immigrants. He authorized use of state police for immigration enforcement as governor. Mitt Romney does not support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Bill Richardson Bill Richardson supports comprehensive immigration reform that includes improved technology, more border patrol agents and a plan to provide legal status for some illegal immigrants. He opposes building the 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border authorized by Congress. Bill also opposes giving state troopers the authority to detain illegal immigrants. Bill Richardson supports a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.		Fred Thompson Fred Thompson supports stricter enforcement of existing laws to prevent future influx of illegal immigrants. He opposes blanket amnesty programs, but is willing to consider allowing some illegal immigrants to earn citizenship without being unfair to those here legally. Bill supports expanding visa program for skilled workers. Fred Thompson does not support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Joe Biden Joe Bides supported the Bush-backed immigration reform legislation, which would have increased funding and improved border security technology, improved enforcement of existing laws, and provided a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. Voted to authorize constitution of a 700-mile fence along the US-Mexican border. Joe Biden supports a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.		Rudy Giuliani As mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani enforced a policy which ordered municipal agencies to not report illegal immigrants to the federal authorities for deportation. Giuliani now calls for creation of an identification card for all foreign visitors and a central database to track their legal status. He says he would deport any alien who commits a felony. Rudy also supports providing a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants, but not ahead of those in the system legally. Rudy says that illegal immigrants must pay back-taxes, pay a fine, learn English before gaining citizenship. Rudi Giuliani supports a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.
Chris Dodd Chris Dodd supported the Bush-backed immigration reform legislation, which would have increased funding and improved border security technology, improved enforcement of existing laws, and provided a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. Voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. Chris Dodd supports a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.		Duncan Hunter Duncan Hunter supported the strict House immigration overhaul legislation that did not provide a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. He voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. Duncan opposes the amnesty programs and says stricter enforcement of the nation's borders is a national security issue. Duncan Hunter does not support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Dennis Kucinich Dennis Kucinich supports legal status for some illegal immigrants with long-standing ties to the U.S. He opposed legislation authorizing a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. Dennis Kucinich Supports a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.		Tom Tancredo Tom Tancredo supported the strict House immigration overhaul legislation. He voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. Bill has supported a moratorium on legal immigration and supports denying citizenship to American-born children of illegal immigrants. Tom Tancredo does not support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Mike Gravel Mike Gravel supports creating a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. He supports guest worker programs and says the construction of a border fence along the U.S.-Mexican border is a cosmetic solution. Bill says that NAFTA agreement has worsened the problem and that better trade policies can help reduce illegal immigration. Mike Gravel supports a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.		Ron Paul Ron Paul supported the strict House immigration overhaul legislation that did not provide a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. He apposes welfare benefits for illegal immigrants and would deny their children citizenship. He voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. Ron Paul does not support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

• Illegal Immigration to the United States
• Guest Worker Program
• Immigration Amnesty
• Border Security

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