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

"Surely, I have held other positions that have not met with widespread agreement from conservatives. I won't pretend otherwise nor would you permit me to forget it. On the issue of illegal immigration, a position which provoked the outspoken opposition of many conservatives, I stood my ground aware that my position would imperil my campaign. I respect your opposition for I know that the vast majority of critics to the bill based their opposition in a principled defense of the rule of law. And while I and other Republican supporters of the bill were genuine in our intention to restore control of our borders, we failed, for various and understandable reasons, to convince Americans that we were. I accept that, and have pledged that it would be among my highest priorities to secure our borders first, and only after we achieved widespread consensus that our borders are secure, would we address other aspects of the problem in a way that defends the ru le of law and does not encourage another wave of illegal immigration." February 7, 2008; Sen. McCain's address at CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference)

The following is an excerpt from the January 30, 2008 Republican debate at the Reagan Library in California:

HOOK: Senator McCain, let me just take the issue to you, because you obviously have been very involved in it. During this campaign, you, like your rivals, have been putting the first priority, heaviest emphasis on border security. But your original immigration proposal back in 2006 was much broader and included a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who were already here.

What I'm wondering is -- and you seem to be downplaying that part. At this point, if your original proposal came to a vote on the Senate floor, would you vote for it?

MCCAIN: It won't. It won't. That's why we went through the debate...

HOOK: But if it did?

MCCAIN: No, it would not, because we know what the situation is today. The people want the border secured first. And so to say that that would come to the floor of the Senate -- it won't. We went through various amendments which prevented that ever -- that proposal.

But, look, we're all in agreement as to what we need to do. Everybody knows it. We can fight some more about it, about who wanted this or who wanted that. But the fact is, we all know the American people want the border secured first.

MCCAIN: We will secure the borders first when I am president of the United States. I know how to do that. I come from a border state, where we know about building walls, and vehicle barriers, and sensors, and all of the things necessary.

I will have the border state governors certify the borders are secured. And then we will move onto the other aspects of this issue, probably as importantly as tamper-proof biometric documents, which then, unless an employer hires someone with those documents, that employer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. And that will cause a lot of people to leave voluntarily.

There's 2 million people who are here who have committed crimes. They have to be rounded up and deported.

And we're all basically in agreement there are humanitarian situations. It varies with how long they've been here, et cetera, et cetera.

We are all committed to carrying out the mandate of the American people, which is a national security issue, which is securing the borders. That was part of the original proposal, but the American people didn't trust or have confidence in us that we would do it.

So we now know we have to secure the borders first, and that is what needs to be done. That's what I'll do as president of the United States.

COOPER: So I just want to confirm that you would not vote for your bill as it originally was?

MCCAIN: My bill will not be voted on; it will not be voted on. I will sit and work with Democrats and Republicans and with all people. And we will have the principals securing the borders first.

And then, if you want me to go through the description all over again, I would be glad to. We will secure the borders first. That's the responsibility and the priority of the American people.

'"I would propose, once the borders are secure and the borders stay government-certified, then I would have [a] tamper-proof biometric-document system so that the only people that can work are those who have that. And that would cause many more to leave this country,' Mr. McCain told 'Al Punto,' Univision's Sunday political talk-show program, in an interview broadcast yesterday ... Now, Mr. McCain says that he would focus first on border security, that 2 million criminal illegal aliens should be deported outright, and that only after the borders are secure and a worker-verification program is in place should illegal aliens get a path to citizenship. The program's host, Jorge Ramos, asked Mr. McCain if that meant no legalization program 'for the first two or three years,' and Mr. McCain seemed to concur. 'I am saying that in the first year or two years at the present pace we can get the border secured, and then we can address the other part of it. The American people want the border secured first, and that is what we have to do,' Mr. McCain said, according to an English transcript provided by the network." January 28, 2008; The Washington Times

MR. RUSSERT:  If the Senate passed your bill, S1433, the McCain-Kennedy Immigration Bill...

SEN. McCAIN:  Mm-hmm.

MR. RUSSERT:  ...would you as president sign it?

SEN. McCAIN:  Yeah, but we--look, the lesson is it isn't won.  It isn't going to come.  It isn't going to come.  The lesson is they want the border secured first.  That's the lesson.  I come from a border state.  I know how to fix those borders with walls, with UAVs, with sensors, with cameras, with vehicle barriers.  They want the border secured first.  And I will do that, and, as president, I will have the border state governors secure--certify those borders are secured.  And then we will have a temporary worker program with tamper-proof biometric documents, and any employer who employs someone in any other circumstances will be prosecuted.  That means a lot of people will leave just, just normally because they're not going to be able to get their job. Then, of course, we have to get rid of two million people who have committed crimes here.  We have to round them up and deport them.  As far as the others are concerned, we were in an ongoing debate and discussion when this whole thing collapsed, and part of that, I think, has to be a humane approach.  Part of it has to be maybe people have to go back to the country that they came from for a period of time while we look at it.  But the principle that the American people want, secure the borders, reward no one ahead of someone who has either waited or has come to this country legally because they have broken our laws to come here.  But I'm confident--look, there's, there's humanitarian situations.  There's a soldier who's missing in action in Iraq.  His wife was here illegally.  America's not going to deport her.  We have humanitarian circumstances.  America's a generous Judeo-Christian valued nation, and we can sit down together.  The--all leading Republican candidates now just about agree that with--using those principles that I just articulated, we can fix it.  But secure the borders first.

MR. RUSSERT:  But you would sign your bill...

SEN. McCAIN:  It's not going to come across my desk.

MR. RUSSERT:  It won't pass.

SEN. McCAIN:  I--if pigs fly, then--look...

MR. RUSSERT:  So it's dead.

SEN. McCAIN:  The bill, the bill is dead as it is written.  We know that.  We know that.  And the bill is going to have to be, and I would sign it, securing the borders first and articulating those principles that I did.  That's what we got out of this last very divisive and tough debate.  And we have to get those borders secured.  That's what Americans want first. January 27, 2008; Meet the Press transcript (MSNBC)

MODERATOR: Sen. McCain, the president's push for immigration reform failed mainly because of disagreements over your plan for dealing with the 12 million people now here illegally. You say you've learned your lesson, you'd secure the borders first. OK. Then how would you deal with the illegals?

SEN. MCCAIN: Actually, it failed because the American people had no trust or confidence in the federal government to do its job, because we had passed a law in 1986 that said we'd allow citizenship and actually what happened was that we didn't secure the borders, as we promised. So Americans need to restore their trust and confidence. I know how to secure the borders. I come from a border state where our borders are broken. More people come across our border illegally every year than most any other state. And I will secure the borders first. And I will have the border states' governors certify that those borders are secured. And we can do it with UAVs, with vehicle barriers, with walls, and with high-tech cameras. The remaining 12 million, obviously two million of them who have committed crimes have to be rounded up and deported immediately. They cannot stay in our society. And we must then, in my view, address it in as humane and compassionate way as possible. The three G.I.s who were missing last year in action, one of them was still missing in action, his wife was about to be deported from this country. I'm not going to deport the wife of a fighting serviceman who's missing in action. I'm going to handle it in a humane, compassionate fashion. And we will reward no one. They will have to get to the end of the line, pay a fine, learn English, and we will secure the borders first. And I know how to do that. Transcript of Republican Presidential Debate on Fox News Channel, Myrtle Beach, S.C. January 10, 2008

"He supported the proposals in the Senate bill to allow illegal immigrants to obtain citizenship, after steps were taken to increase border security." July 16, 2007; Des Moines Register (Iowa)



“The most difficult problem is what to do about the twelve million or more undocumented workers who live and work here now. No critic of our bill has offered a serious proposal to round up all these millions, many of whom have children born in this country, and ship them back to their countries of origin. There is simply no practical way to do that, and most Americans understand that ... We can’t leave our borders so undefended that people who come here to hurt us can enter it as easily as someone following a dream of living in a great country. But these people are also God’s children, who wanted simply to be Americans, and we cannot forget the humanity God commands of us as we seek a remedy to this problem ... They came to grasp the lowest rung of the ladder of opportunity, and they intend to rise. Let them rise. Let them rise. We will be the better for it. Our America -blessed, bountiful, and beautiful - is the land of hope and opportunity, the land of the immigrant's dream. Long may she remain so.” June 4, 2007 speech in Miami, Fla.; JohnMcCain.com (Click here to watch speech )

2005: Voted against the Byrd Amendment to increase interior enforcement
Sen. McCain voted against 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.

Assessment of Past Immigration Actions
in Political Office

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. McCain 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.

"He supported the proposals in the Senate bill to allow illegal immigrants to obtain citizenship, after steps were taken to increase border security." July 16, 2007; Des Moines Register (Iowa)

Visa Lottery

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

2007: Has not cosponsored the SAVE Act (Secure America with Verification Enforcement) which would require all employers verify employment eligibility for all employees through the E-Verify program (formerly the Basic Pilot program).

"I also would support what ICE has announced, what Chertoff and Gutierrez have announced they're going to do. The numbers don't match up to — on Social Security numbers. And people who then knowingly have employed — and by the way, these are not small businesspeople. They're exempted. But people who hire their people illegally and they don't have valid Social Security numbers, then they're going to be subject to prosecution." August 14, 2007; The O'Reilly Factor on FOX News Channel



"He supported the Senate proposal to toughen employer requirements for verification of immigrant status. He also said the bill would 'put employers on notice that the practice of hiring illegal workers simply will not be tolerated.'" July 16, 2007 Des Moines Register (Iowa)

PUNISHING EMPLOYERS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS

"I also would support what ICE has announced, what Chertoff and Gutierrez have announced they're going to do. The numbers don't match up to — on Social Security numbers. And people who then knowingly have employed — and by the way, these are not small businesspeople. They're exempted. But people who hire their people illegally and they don't have valid Social Security numbers, then they're going to be subject to prosecution." August 14, 2007; The O'Reilly Factor on FOX News Channel

"He supported the Senate proposal to toughen employer requirements for verification of immigrant status. He also said the bill would 'put employers on notice that the practice of hiring illegal workers simply will not be tolerated.'" July 16, 2007; Des Moines Register (Iowa)



"To achieve our objectives, America needs the strong reform I've proposed that will: Strengthen the laws and penalties against those who hire illegal aliens and violate immigration law; Achieve and maintain the integrity of official documents to stop fraud, verify immigration status and employment, and enforce immigration law." Excerpted from Sen. McCain's March 5, 2007 op-ed in The Union Leader (NH)

LOCAL ENFORCEMENT of IMMIGRATION

ENTRY/EXIT SYSTEM AT BORDERS  

SANCTUARY CITIES POLICIES

DRIVER'S LICENSES FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS

STATE AID TO ILLEGAL STUDENTS

U.S. Senator John McCain has a long career of public service.

After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1958, John McCain began his career as a Naval aviator. In 1982, he was elected to Congress representing what was then the first congressional district of Arizona. In 1986, he was elected to the United States Senate to take the place of Arizona's great Senator Barry Goldwater. Senator McCain is currently the senior senator from Arizona.

In 2000, McCain ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. He is currently the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and serves on the Armed Services, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committees.

Senator McCain has seven children and four grandchildren. He and his wife, Cindy, reside in Phoenix.