Assessing Overall Candidate Promises

EDITOR'S NOTE: All of a candidates' actions and promises on immigration are considered in these three overarching categories --

• what do you do with the 12-20 million illegal aliens already here;
• what do you do to stop future illegal immigration, and
• what do you do to protect American workers and communities from the current peak flood of foreign workers?

Amnesty & Attrition Through Enforcement

"She believes comprehensive reform must have as essential ingredients ... strict but fair enforcement of our laws, federal assistance to our state and local governments." HillaryClinton.com

"Of course, enforcement of our immigration laws cannot start and stop at the border. We need an effective interior enforcement plan as well. In reforming our laws, we must enact strict and enforceable laws that are simultaneously effective and rationally-based. They can be neither rooted in prejudice nor play to peoples’ fears. In this vein, I oppose proposals – like the Sensenbrenner Bill (H.R.4437) – that target and criminalize the undocumented and punish those who would provide them with humanitarian assistance ... Regrettably in this struggle against illegal immigration, we have abandoned our state and local governments, leaving them to bear the burden and the cost of our failed national immigration policies. Unchecked illegal immigration strains our schools, hospitals, and local emergency services. And while the vast majority of undocumented people do not engage in criminal activity, there are those who do, putting an incredible strain on our local law enforcement agencies. For too long we have left our state and local governments to fend for themselves in this effort. They should not be made to bear this burden alone. They need the support of the federal government in dealing with illegal immigration." March 8, 2006; Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Comprehensive Immigration Reform

"I do support providing undocumented workers with the opportunity to earn legal status in this country." March 8, 2006; Newsday (N.Y.)

Assessment of Past Immigration Actions
in Political Office

2007: Voted in favor of the DREAM Act amnesty for illegal aliens
Sen. Clinton voted in favor of a motion to invoke cloture on S. 2205, the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2007. S. 2205 would reward up to 2.1 million illegal aliens with amnesty. The motion to invoke cloture failed by a vote of 52 to 44. 

Click here for more AMNESTY actions.

2007: Voted on Senate floor in favor of motion to invoke cloture on S. 1639, a bill to increase chain migration
Sen. Clinton voted in favor of a second motion to invoke cloture on S. 1639, a bill to increase chain migration by approximately 251,000 per year. The motion to invoke cloture would have limited further debate on the bill and moved it to a final vote. A vote in favor of cloture was effectively a vote in favor the amnesty-guestworker bill. The motion to invoke cloture failed by a vote of 46 to 53.

Click here for more CHAIN MIGRATION actions. 

2007: Voted on Senate floor in favor of increasing foreign worker visas
Sen. Clinton voted in favor of a motion to invoke cloture on S. 1639, a bill to increase importation of temporary and permanent foreign workers. The motion to invoke cloture was a move to initiate debate on the proposal and limit further discussion of amendments to a previously-agreed upon set of proposals -- thus a vote against cloture was effectively a vote in favor of killing the amnesty-guestworker bill. The motion to invoke cloture passed by a vote of 64 to 35. 

Click here for more FOREIGN WORKER actions. 

2007: Voted on Senate floor against amendment to increase border control
Sen. Clinton voted against the Coburn Amendment (SA 1311) to S. 1348 to increase border control by requiring: construction of the border fence; implementation of US VISIT (entry-exit system); and biometric identification documents. The Coburn Amendment failed by a vote of 42 to 54. 

Click here for more BORDER CONTROL actions. 

2005: Voted in favor of Byrd Amendment to increase interior enforcement
Sen. Clinton voted in favor of the Byrd Amendment to H.R. 1268 (an emergency supplemental spending bill) to provide funding to hire 250 new immigration investigators, and 168 new immigration enforcement agents and deportation officers. The Byrd amendment also provides funds for 2,000 additional detention beds as well as funding to train the new personnel. 

Click here for more INTERIOR ENFORCEMENT actions. 

2007: Voted on Senate floor against amendment to increase interior enforcement
Sen. Clinton voted against the Coburn Amendment (SA 1311) to S. 1348 to increase interior enforcement by requiring implementation of US VISIT (entry-exit system) and biometric identification documents. The Coburn Amendment failed by a vote of 42 to 54. 

2007: Voted on Senate floor to deter employers from hiring illegal aliens
Sen. Clinton voted in favor of the Sessions Amendment to H.R. 2, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. The Sessions Amendment would prohibit employers who hire illegal aliens from receiving government contracts. The Sessions Amendment passed by a vote of 94-0. 

Assessing Specific Stances on LEGAL IMMIGRATION

EDITOR'S NOTE: Unless the following four categories of legal immigration are changed, current policies will add 100 million additional people to the United States over the next few decades.

Chain Migration

2006: Voted on Senate floor in favor of S. 2611 to increase chain migration
Sen. Clinton voted in favor of final passage of S. 2611, a bill to increase chain migration through an annual increase in the family-preference visa cap of 254,000. In addition, S. 2611 includes a one-time-only permanent increase of 105,660 visas for exempt family of "unused" employment-based visa holders between 2001-2005. S. 2611 passed by a vote of 62 to 36.  

Click here for more CHAIN MIGRATION actions.

"I believe we need to repair those broken portions of our immigration system that irrevocably damage families and force citizens and lawful immigrants to choose between their newly adopted country and living with their spouse or children. We have a national interest in fostering strong families. This is why I introduced an amendment during consideration of the immigration reform bill that would have taken steps to protect the sanctity of families. Our American values demand no less."

"Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday as president she would push an immigration bill with a path to legalization that unites families ... 'Everybody talks about family values ... let's start valuing families and that means immigrant families as well as every other family.'" October 4, 2007; The Washington Times

"The two candidates [Clinton and Obama] also said they support passing bills such as the Dream Act, which would legalize illegal-alien students and give them a path to citizenship if they stay in school or serve in the military. It would also allow them in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities." July 23, 2007; The Washington Times



"'In the debate over immigration, I have made family reunification my mission,' Clinton said. 'I don't think our country, of all countries, should be furthering family breakup and disunity.'" June 15, 2007; MSNBC



“Hundreds of thousands of lawful permanent residents are separated from their spouses and minor children due to visa backlogs that can stretch for five years or longer.  Under our current policies, lawful permanent residents are forced to choose between their newly-adopted country and living with their spouse or children.  Five years in the life of a young child or a marriage is precious time that can’t be recaptured.  By defeating these family reunification amendments, the Senate missed an opportunity to take all the rhetoric about family values and put it into action and show that we mean what we say when we talk about putting families first.” June 6, 2007; Sen. Clinton's website



"Hillary Clinton strongly supports comprehensive immigration reform, family reunification, and the DREAM Act ... Hillary Clinton recently introduced an amendment to remove barriers to reunification for the nuclear families of lawful permanent residents. The amendment would reclassify the spouses and minor children of lawful permanent immigrants as 'immediate relatives,' thereby exempting them from the visa caps. She did this because Hillary Clinton knows, 'The United States is a country built by immigrants, but our laws are tearing legal immigrant families apart.' Hillary Clinton’s support of sensible immigration reform, including earned citizenship and family reunification has helped her win strong support in the Latino community. May 30, 2007; Clinton campaign memo posted on Californiaprogressreport.com



"With a lineup of immigrant advocates and clergy members behind her, Sen. Hillary Clinton said she plans to introduce an amendment that would give green card holders the same ability to bring their spouses and children to the United States as U.S. citizens. Under the bill, there would continue to be no limit to the number of immediate family members of U.S. citizens who could immigrate here. But the bill caps at 87,000 a year the nuclear family members of legal permanent residents who could come each year. 'For those who often speak about family values, this is your opportunity to match your rhetoric with your action,'' said Clinton, D-N.Y." May 24, 2007; Orange County Register (Calif.)



"The United States is a country built by immigrants, but our laws are tearing legal immigrant families apart," said Senator Clinton. "Hundreds of thousands of lawful permanent residents have been waiting for years to be reunited with their spouses and children due to visa backlogs. These are taxpaying, law-abiding residents. These are people who otherwise would be admitted into this country, but they are forced to wait because of a tragic numbers game. It is unconscionable that they are being forced to choose between their family and their newly adopted country." May 23, 2007; Sen. Clinton's website



"Smart reform that is consistent with our values also requires that we find a way to couple an orderly and legal immigration system with a policy committed to keeping families together and treating all immigrants with dignity. Our laws can be both strict and fair. We should not unduly punish the overwhelming majority of immigrants who work hard, raise families, pay their taxes, and contribute to their communities ... Any reasonable immigration reform proposal must offer relief to those would-be immigrants who have tried to play by the rules by obtaining a family visa, but who have nonetheless been unable to reunite with their spouses, parents, children, and siblings because of a shortage of visas." March 8, 2006; Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Visa Lottery

IMPORTING FOREIGN WORKERS

Citizenship for Births to illegal Aliens

Assessing Specific Stances on ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

EDITORS NOTE: Here are 8 very important steps needed to halt illegal immigration. Aspects not included in this section are included in the section above about Overall Policies on Future Illegal Immigration.

MANDATORY WORKPLACE VERIFICATION

2008: Refuses to co-sponsor the SAVE ACT (H.R. 4088) and a Discharge Petition to force a vote on the SAVE Act on the House floor
Sen. Clinton is not among the 3 Senate Democrats who have co-sponsored two versions of the enforcement-only SAVE Act (Secure America with Verification Enforcement; Sen. Vitter's [R-La.] S. 2366 and Sen. Pryor's [D-Ark.] S. 2368).

"I do not believe a fence alone will solve our immigration crisis. We need to do a lot more. That means ensuring that employers comply with the law against hiring and exploiting undocumented workers. I support deploying new technology that can help stop the flow of undocumented immigrants into the country and an employer verification system that is universal, accurate, timely and does not lead to discrimination and abuse by employers." April 14, 2008; Charlotte Observer (N.C.)

"People have to stop employing illegal immigrants." December 13, 2004; The Washington Times

PUNISHING EMPLOYERS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS  

I do not believe a fence alone will solve our immigration crisis. We need to do a lot more. That means ensuring that employers comply with the law against hiring and exploiting undocumented workers. I support deploying new technology that can help stop the flow of undocumented immigrants into the country and an employer verification system that is universal, accurate, timely and does not lead to discrimination and abuse by employers. April 14, 2008; Charlotte Observer (N.C.)

"I believe that in many parts of our country, because of employers who exploit undocumented workers and drive down wages, there are job losses. And I think we should be honest about that. There are people who have been pushed out of jobs in factories and meat processing plants and all kinds of settings. And I meet them. You know, I was in Atlanta last night, and an African-American man said to me, 'I used to have a lot of construction jobs, and now it just seems like the only people who get them anymore are people who are here without documentation.' So I -- I know that what we have to do is to bring our country together to have a comprehensive immigration reform solution. That is the answer." January 31, 2008; Transcript of Democrat debate in California via RealClearPolitics.com

"In response to two audience questions [at the La Raza National Convention], Mrs. Clinton would not promise to end large-scale raids on illegal aliens in the workplace, which have led to families being separated. Instead, she said she would ask her Homeland Security Department to target employers as well. 'It is time they start going after the employers who abuse and exploit undocumented workers instead of just going after the workers themselves,' she said." July 23, 2007; The Washington Times



"She called for stricter sanctions on employers who hire illegal immigrants, and she echoed Mr. Bush in saying undocumented immigrants should have to pay fines and should have a lower priority than legal residents in applying for citizenship, even if it takes '10 to 15 years.'" February 21, 2007; The New York Sun

"Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says that 'Jesus himself' would be judged a criminal under a 'mean-spirited' GOP immigration proposal that makes it a felony to help or hire undocumented immigrants. 'It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of the Scriptures,' the New York Democrat said of the measure, which is being considered in the Senate. 'This bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself.'" Statement made on March 22, 2006; VoteHillary.org
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"'Anybody who committed a crime in this country or in the country they came from has to be deported immediately, with no legal process. They are immediately gone,' Mrs. Clinton told a town hall meeting in Anderson, S.C., Thursday. On Wednesday, she told a crowd in North Bergen, N.J., that such criminals 'absolutely' need to be deported. A day earlier, she told a rally in Salinas, Calif., that aliens with criminal records 'should be deported, no questions asked.'" 01/28/2008; The New York Sun

"Asked whether U.S. citizens had a duty to turn undocumented workers over to authorities, the Democrats said legal pressure should instead be brought to bear on employers paying substandard wages.

Clinton: "They (illegal immigrants) probably made some of the beds in the hotels we stayed in last night." December 5, 2007; The Kansas City Star

"'If a citizen witnessed some other kind of crime, wouldn’t you want them to report it?' Steve Inskeep of NPR asked Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York after she said that did not think that citizens should be 'enforcing the broken laws of our federal immigration system. 'It’s a very clever question, Steve, but I think it really begs the question,' Mrs. Clinton responded. 'What we’re looking at here is 12 to 14 million people — they live in our neighborhoods, they take care of our elderly, they probably made the beds in the hotels that some of us stayed in last night. They are embedded in our society. If we want to listen to the demagogues and the calls for us to being to round up people and turn every American into a suspicious vigilante, I think we will do graver harm to the fabric of our nation than any kind of person-by-person reporting of someone who might be here illegally.'" December 4, 2007; The New York Times

"In response to two audience questions [at the La Raza National Convention], Mrs. Clinton would not promise to end large-scale raids on illegal aliens in the workplace, which have led to families being separated. Instead, she said she would ask her Homeland Security Department to target employers as well. 'It is time they start going after the employers who abuse and exploit undocumented workers instead of just going after the workers themselves,' she said." July 23, 2007; The Washington Times

"While she scoffed at the suggestion of deporting all illegal immigrants, she had strong words for those who break the law. 'The ones who are criminals, let's deport them. If they're criminals, let's move them back to where they came from,'" The New York Sun; February 21, 2007

"Clinton said it would be 'an unworkable scheme to try to deport 11 million people, which you have to have a police state to try to do.'" March 8, 2006; The Associated Press

ENTRY/EXIT SYSTEM AT BORDERS

BORDER SECURITY

SANCTUARY CITIES POLICIES

DRIVER'S LICENSES FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS

CLINTON: Only after people have agreed to these conditions (click here for details about the conditions referred to by Sen. Clinton), Doyle, and that they have been willing to say yes, they will meet those conditions, do I think we ought to talk about privileges like driver's licenses. Because otherwise I think you will further undermine the labor market for people like the ones Kim is referring to. We need to solve this problem, not exacerbate it, and that's what I intend to do as president.

BLITZER: Very quickly Senator, why not then, if you're that passionate about it, let them get driver's licenses?

CLINTON: Well, we disagree on this.

I do not think that it is either appropriate to give a driver's license to someone who's here undocumented, putting them frankly at risk, because that is clear evidence that they are not here legally. And I believe it is a diversion from what should be the focus at creating a political coalition with the courage to stand up and change the immigration system. January 31, 2008; Transcript of Democrat debate in California via RealClearPolitics.com

"After weeks of giving a less-than-clear answer on the topic of how she felt about giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, Hillary Clinton came out today in support of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan... to end his quest to do just that. 'I support Governor Spitzer's decision today to withdraw his proposal,' Clinton said in a statement. 'His difficult job is made that much harder by the failure of the Congress and the White House to pass comprehensive immigration reform ... As President, I will not support drivers' licenses for undocumented people and will press for comprehensive immigration reform that deals with all of the issues around illegal immigration including border security and fixing our broken system.'" November 14, 2007; MSNBC

"Hillary Clinton came out yesterday in support of a plan by Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York to offer limited driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, after she appeared tripped up by a question on the subject in Tuesday night's Democratic debate. 'Senator Clinton supports governors like Governor Spitzer who believe they need such a measure to deal with the crisis caused by this administration's failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform,' her campaign said in a statement. 'As president, her goal will be to pass comprehensive immigration reform that would make this unnecessary.'" November 1, 2007; The Boston Globe

"A besieged Hillary Rodham Clinton belatedly backed Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan to grant driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, a day after her waffle on the issue sparked a firestorm at a Democratic debate ... In a vaguely worded statement yesterday afternoon, the campaign moved closer to an endorsement of Spitzer's approach, saying Clinton supported immigration reforms by state officials 'like Governor Spitzer.' Later, Clinton's campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson clarified that clarification - telling Newsday his boss supported the basic concept of offering undocumented workers licenses, 'absent comprehensive federal immigration reform.' Clinton won't comment on details of the governor's proposal, he added." November 1, 2007; Newsday (N.Y.)

"Democratic White House front-runner Hillary Clinton stood up for Gov. Spitzer's efforts to pull illegal immigrants 'out of the shadows' - but stopped short of backing his controversial plan to grant them driver's licenses. Clinton told a newspaper in New Hampshire, home to the first-in-the-nation presidential primary, that Spitzer's got the right idea. 'I know exactly what Gov. Spitzer's trying to do and it makes a lot of sense, because he's trying to get people out of the shadows,' Clinton told the editorial board of the Nashua Telegraph. 'He's trying to say, 'Okay, come forward and we will give you this license.'" October 19, 2007; N.Y. Daily News

STATE AID TO ILLEGAL STUDENTS

Hillary Rodham Clinton was elected to the United States Senate by the people of New York on November 7, 2000, after years of public service on behalf of children and families. A strong advocate for New York, Senator Clinton works with communities throughout the state to strengthen the economy and expand opportunity. The Senator supports a return to fiscal responsibility because she knows that wise national economic policies are essential to protect America’s future.

She serves on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; the Environment and Public Works Committee; the Special Committee on Aging; and she is the first New Yorker ever to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Senator Clinton chairs the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, responsible for communicating with the public about key issues before Congress.