The 2008 Presidential Elections: Democratic and Republican Candidates on Immigration
With the presidential nominees set for the Democratic and Republican parties, now's a great time to review the candidate positions on one of the most contentious campaign issues of this election: immigration.
Here are the candidates, listed alphabetically, and their platforms on immigration as stated on their campaign websites.
Democratic Nominee on Immigration
Barack Obama (Senator from Illinois): Obama bases his plan for immigration reform on keeping families together by increasing legal immigration. He wants to step up border security with additional personnel, infrastructure and technology improvements, and crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. Obama would create a system by which undocumented immigrants in good standing can become citizens by paying a fine and learning English. Further, he believes we need to work with Mexico on economic development to decrease incentives for illegal immigration.
Republican Nominee on Immigration
John McCain (Senator from Arizona): McCain advocates tighter border security, and his plan for immigration reform includes building strong ties with Mexican and Latin American authorities; encouraging assimilation of immigrants to American society, learning English, American history and civics, and respecting the values of a democratic society. McCain previously co-sponsored an immigration bill with Senator Ted Kennedy to provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country; however, he now says that he would not vote for this bill in the Senate.