Watch Sen. Obama discuss his stance on illegal immigration at a Town Hall meeting at the University of New Hampshire on February 12, 2007

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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

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. Obama 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).

2007: Voted on Senate floor in favor of motion to invoke cloture on S. 1639, a bill to reward illegal aliens with amnesty
Sen. Obama voted in favor of a second motion to invoke cloture on S. 1639, a bill to reward up to 6 million illegal aliens with amnesty. The motion to invoke cloture would have limited further debate on the bill and moved it to a final vote. A vote for cloture was effectively a vote in favor of passing the amnesty-guestworker bill. The motion to invoke cloture failed by a vote of 46 to 53.   

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"This is an example of an issue we have used as a political football instead of trying to solve the problem," he said in response to a question from a farmworker at a town-hall meeting. Obama said undocumented immigrants should learn English and pay penalties as part of a pathway to eventual legal presence and citizenship. 'As a practical matter, and I am a practical man, even if you believe in sending all of our undocumented workers back, you couldn't do it,' he said. 'We would have to use all of our law enforcement resources, spend billions of dollars and empty our jails of criminals to detain people whose only crime is to try to support their families. Imagine the images on the screen. That's not who we are." March 22, 2008; Statesman Journal (Ore.)

"If you're ready for change, we can stop using immigration as a political football and actually start solving the problem. We are a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, and those two things we can join together. We can get serious about our borders and crack down on employers who are taking advantage of undocumented workers and undermining U.S. labor. But we can also provide a pathway for those who are living here. They can pay a fine and learn English and go to the back of the line, but we've got to give them an opportunity, too. We're a nation of immigrants ... I know how easy it is for politicians to turn us on each other, to use immigrants or gay people or folks who aren't like us as scapegoats for what they do." February 19, 2008; The Washington Post via CQ Transcripts Wire

OBAMA: I also believe we have to give a pathway to citizenship, after they have paid a fine and learned English, to those who are already here. Because if we don't, they will continue to undermine U.S. wages.

BLITZER: We have a follow-up, Senator Obama. In an interview with CNN this week, you said this. You said, quote, "I stood up for a humane and intelligent immigration policy in a way that frankly none of my other opponents did." What did you mean by that?

OBAMA: Well, what I meant was that when this issue came up, not driver's license but comprehensive immigration reform generally, I worked with Ted Kennedy, I worked with Dick Durbin, I worked with John McCain -- although he may not admit it now -- (laughter) -- to move this issue forward aggressively.

And it's a hard political issue, let's be honest. This is not an issue that polls well. But I think it is the right thing to do. And I think we have to show leadership on the issue.

And it is important for us, I believe, to recognize that the problems that workers are experiencing generally are not primarily caused by immigration" January 31, 2008; Transcript of Democrat debate in California via RealClearPolitics.com

"[L]et me remind everybody that not everybody who came in through Ellis Island had their papers in order.” January 31, 2008; CBS News

"There are legitimate concerns on both sides of the debate. I have met countless Americans who are worried about the constant flow of illegal immigrants not because they are racists or xenophobes, but because they fear that this influx of low-skill workers threatens to depress wages that are already too low. They also rightfully expect their government to control our borders. At the same time, it is both unproductive and untrue to tag as 'amnesty' any proposal that would put the undocumented on a path to earned citizenship, since the bill we're debating would penalize those who broke our laws with steep fines and require them to start their quest for citizenship at the back of the line ... It is also unrealistic to believe that we could actually find and deport all 12 million immigrants, when we don't even know who or where they are. That is why the best way to bring the undocumented out of the shadows is to give them a chance to show that they are ready to shoulder the obligations of citizenship." June 28, 2007; Orlando Sentinel op-ed



"I believe in comprehensive immigration reform. I think we have to have border security (and) a tamper-proof employee verification system that ensures employers are held accountable for who they hire. With those two things in place, I think it’s also important for us to have a pathway to citizenship for the 12 million or so undocumented workers who are here. I think that most Americans believe that it’s important to have some control over who comes in and who comes out of the country, and we don’t have that right now. But I think that people also believe ... that families who have been here a long time, whose children weren’t born here and have gone through the school system, that we need to give them a chance to be part of the American dream, although if they want citizenship they’ll have to probably go to the back of the line. Under the legislation we provide for, they would have to pay a fine and learn English and take a series of steps over the course of a decade before they would actually be eligible for citizenship." March 12, 2007; Muscatine Journal (IA) interview



"The notion that somehow by passing this law they are immediately going to report to authorities and allow themselves to be deported, just doesn't make sense, and we don't have the capacity to enforce such an approach.What we can do, is bring them out of the shadows by putting them on a pathway to citizenship. The proposal that is on the floor right now essentially says, "Look, you broke our laws, you've got to pay a penalty for that, you've got to pay a fine, you have to go to the back of the line, you have to go through ten steps over the course of eleven years, but if you do all those things, if you show that you are committed to being a US citizen, then in fact you can stay here, work, raise your families." People call that amnesty, my attitude is, anything that requires people to jump through eleven years worth of hoops, is not amnesty. Anything that requires them to pay fines, and to learn English, and to maintain a job, and a host of other requirements, that's not amnesty; it's an earned pathway to citizenship." April 5, 2006; Sen. Obama Podcast transcript

2006: Voted in favor of amendment to increase interior enforcement
Sen. Obama voted in favor of the Bingaman Amendment to S. 2454 to authorize grants to state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies near the borders to assist in immigration enforcement. The Bingaman Amendment passed by a vote of 84 to 6. 

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"I know that dealing with the undocumented population is difficult, for practical and political reasons. But we simply cannot claim to have dealt with the problems of illegal immigration if we ignore the illegal resident population or pretend they will leave voluntarily. Some of the proposed ideas in Congress provide a temporary legal status and call for deportation, but fail to answer how the government would deport 11 million people. I don't know how it would be done. I don't know how we would line up all the buses and trains and airplanes and send 11 million people back to their countries of origin. I don't know why it is that we expect they would voluntarily leave after having taken the risk of coming to this country without proper documentation.

I don't know many police officers across the country who would go along with the bill that came out of the House, a bill that would, if enacted, charge undocumented immigrants with felonies, and arrest priests who are providing meals to hungry immigrants, or people who are running shelters for women who have been subject to domestic abuse. I cannot imagine that we would be serious about making illegal immigrants into felons, and going after those who would aid such persons.

That approach is not serious. That is symbolism, that is demagoguery." April 3, 2006; Floor Statement of Senator Barack Obama on Immigration Reform

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

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"Barack Obama says he doesn't approve of activist Elvira Arellano's defiance of U.S. immigration law, but he argues that her situation illustrates the problems of the current system and calls for immediate legal reform. Obama met late last year in his Senate office to talk about immigration reform with Arellano, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who took refuge in a Humboldt Park church for a year to avoid deportation. Since her deportation over the weekend, Arellano has been in Tijuana trying to figure out whether her son -- who has lived most of his life in Chicago -- will stay with her in Mexico or return to Illinois. 'I’ve met with Elvira Arellano and her son, and I understand the challenges that they and millions of other undocumented immigrants face,' Obama says in a new written statement about the activist. 'Although I do not condone Ms. Arellano’s defiance of the law, her plight is representative of a broken immigration system,' he said. 'We need comprehensive immigration reform that creates a system that is fair, consistent, compassionate, and emphasizes both maintaining the rule of law and the security of our borders while working to keep families together.'" August 21, 2007; Chicago Tribune

"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



"Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), one of the leading Democratic presidential candidates, is serving notice that he will try to change the proposal on the Senate floor, to give a higher value to reuniting families. The Senate will resume debate on the measure when it returns next week from the Memorial Day recess. Obama has called the point plan a 'radical experiment in social engineering.' In a speech last week, he said the bill 'fails to recognize the fundamental morality of uniting Americans with their family members. It also places a person's job skills over his character and work ethic. How many of our forefathers would have measured up under the point system? How many would have been turned back at Ellis Island?'" May 27, 2007; The Washington Post

“Without modifications, the proposed bill could devalue the importance of family reunification, replace the current group of undocumented immigrants with a new undocumented population consisting of guest workers who will overstay their visas, and potentially drive down wages of American workers.” May 19, 2007; The New York Times

VISA LOTTERY

IMPORTING FOREIGN WORKERS

Do you support the establishment of an expanded guest worker program?

Obama: I would support a new guest worker program to meet worker shortages in some sectors of the economy, but it must have strong worker protections and not exclude people from ever becoming Americans. It must also take into account that some workers will wish to earn a right to stay in the U.S. permanently.

Would you support an increase in the cap of low-skilled employment-based green cards issued each year from it's current level of 5000?

Obama: Yes.

Would you favor raising the 65,000 cap on high-skilled H-1B temporary work visas, in light of the fact that in the last two years, H-1B visas were quickly filled in a matter of days?

Obama: As part of comprehensive reform, I will consider multiple proposals for increasing access to the world’s best and brightest to work in America.

-proimmigrant.org Candidate Survey

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
Sen. Obama 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).

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).

2005-2006: Cosponsoring bill to increase interior enforcement with mandatory workplace verification
Sen. Obama is a cosponsor of S. 1917 to establish a mandatory electronic worker verification system that would prevent illegal aliens from taking jobs from those with legal right to work in the country.

“I believe that there are circumstances where, in fact, illegal immigrants are driving down wages ... The question is: How do we fix it?' he asked. 'Because, often times, when it’s posed that way, then the thinking is that somehow we have to pit low-wage American workers versus low-wage immigrant workers.'" December 4, 2007; The New York Times

"I believe in comprehensive immigration reform. I think we have to have border security (and) a tamper-proof employee verification system that ensures employers are held accountable for who they hire." March 12, 2007; Muscatine Journal (IA) interview



"We need an electronic verification system that can effectively detect the use of fraudulent documents, significantly reduce the employment of illegal workers, and give employers the confidence that their workforce is legal." April 3, 2006; Floor Statement by Senator Barack Obama Employment Verification Amendment for the Immigration Bill



"American employers need to take responsibility. Too often illegal immigrants are lured here with a promise of a job, only to receive unconscionably low wages. In the interest of cheap labor, unscrupulous employers look the other way when employees provide fraudulent U.S. citizenship documents. Some actually call and place orders for undocumented workers because they don't want to pay minimum wages to American workers in surrounding communities. These acts hurt both American workers and immigrants whose sole aim is to work hard and get ahead. That is why we need a simple, foolproof, and mandatory mechanism for all employers to check the legal status of new hires. Such a mechanism is in the Judiciary Committee bill." April 3, 2006; Floor Statement of Senator Barack Obama on Immigration Reform

"'If we have strong border security and we are cracking down on employers, then you're going to see far fewer people coming into the country illegally,' Obama said. 'And some will go home, because they're here to work, if the source of employment starts running out.'" January 2, 2008; Chicago Tribune

PUNISHING EMPLOYERS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS  

"I also believe that we do have to crack down on those employers that are taking advantage of the situation, hiring folks who cannot complain about worker conditions, who aren't getting the minimum wage sometimes or aren't getting overtime. We have to crack down on them." January 31, 2008; Transcript of Democrat debate in California via RealClearPolitics.com

"'If we have strong border security and we are cracking down on employers, then you're going to see far fewer people coming into the country illegally,' Obama said. 'And some will go home, because they're here to work, if the source of employment starts running out.'" January 2, 2008; Chicago Tribune

"[W]e've got to be serious about employers' obligations to check to see whether somebody is here legally or not...There hasn't been a serious program of employer sanctions. That has to be put in place." March 24, 2007; CNN

"Employers have gotten off scott free when it comes to the immigration papers. There have been very few prosecutions, very few enforcements." September 23, 2006; Sen. Obama at Joliet town hall

"Most importantly you have to have a virtual wall that's built where employers essentially have to see a tamper proof identification card in order for them to hire workers, and we've got to enforce that so that if employers are taking advantage of illegal immigrants, they pay a serious fine, and there are consequences to it. We've got employers right now who actually call into Mexico and say, 'I need 500 workers, I don't want to pay the workers in the area where my plant is located the minimum wage,' and essentially use illegal workers as a way of undermining health safety protection laws, minimum wage, and so forth." April 5, 2006; Sen. Obama Podcast transcript

"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.

Obama: "We do not deputize the American people to do what the federal government’s supposed to do." December 5, 2007; The Kansas City Star

"'We are not going to deputize a whole bunch of American citizens to start grabbing people or turning them in,' said Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, who was the first to answer the question at the debate, the first this year staged without a television camera in the room. 'The ordinary American citizen may not know whether or not this person is illegal or not.'" December 5, 2007; The New York Times

"In a statement issued by his campaign, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama praised U.S. District Judge James Munley’s decision Thursday, calling it a 'victory for all Americans ... The anti-immigrant law passed by [Hazelton, Pa.] Mayor Barletta was unconstitutional and unworkable — and it underscores the need for comprehensive immigration reform so local communities do not continue to take matters into their own hands,' Obama, a contender for the Democrat Party’s presidential nomination, said." July 28, 2007; The Citizens Voice (Pa.)

ENTRY/EXIT SYSTEM AT BORDERS

BORDER SECURITY

"With our neighbors to the south, that agenda must include securing our border. The hard work of comprehensive immigration reform must be done at home; we will be a nation of laws and immigrants. But we also have to work with Mexico to crack down on both illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations that threaten people on both sides of the border.

This will take new investments and new partnerships. Here's some of what we need to do:

•Increase technology and real-time intelligence-sharing to allow U.S. and Mexican authorities to track and dismantle drug-trafficking cartels.

•Invest in anti-drug education on both sides of the border to reduce demand for illicit narcotics.

•Make a concerted effort to disrupt arms smuggling and money laundering from the United States that supplies Mexican drug cartels with weapons and funds.

•Partner with Mexico to enhance the professionalism of its law enforcement and judiciary officials.

It's also time to develop a bilateral strategy for lifting up our border communities. Six and a half million Americans live in cities and towns next to the border, and 61 million Americans live in the four states that border Mexico. Too often we neglect the unique needs of these communities, which are integrated with their sister cities across the border. As president, I will work with state and local governments to enhance cross-border partnerships in transportation, law enforcement, environmental protection, health care and water usage." February 20, 2008; The Dallas Morning News

"Now, there is no doubt that we have to get control of our borders. We can't have hundreds of thousands of people coming over to the United States without us having any idea who they are." January 31, 2008; Transcript of Democrat debate in California via RealClearPolitics.com

"'If we have strong border security and we are cracking down on employers, then you're going to see far fewer people coming into the country illegally,' Obama said. 'And some will go home, because they're here to work, if the source of employment starts running out.'" January 2, 2008; Chicago Tribune

"I believe in comprehensive immigration reform. I think we have to have border security (and) a tamper-proof employee verification system that ensures employers are held accountable for who they hire." March 12, 2007; Muscatine Journal (IA) interview

Vote in favor of H.R. 6061; Secure Fence Act of 2006 (source: The Washington Post)

SANCTUARY CITIES POLICIES

DRIVER'S LICENSES FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS

"OBAMA: On the driver's license issue, I don't actually want -- I don't believe that we're going to have to deal with this if we have comprehensive immigration reform because, as I said before, people don't come here to drive, they come here to work. (Applause.) And if we have signed them up -- if they have -- if we have registered them, if they have paid a fine, if they are learning English, if they are going to the back of the line, if we fix our legal immigration system, then I believe we will not have this problem of undocumented workers in this country because people will be able to actually go on pathway to citizenship. That, I think, is the right approach for African- Americans, I think it's the right approach for Latinos, I think it's the right approach for white workers here in the United States as well ... From my perspective, I agree with Bill Richardson that there is a public safety concern here and that we're better off -- because I don't want a bunch of hit-and-run drivers because they're worried about being deported and so they don't report an accident. That is a judgment call." January 31, 2008; Transcript of Democrat debate in California via RealClearPolitics.com

"At CNN's debate Thursday, moderator Wolf Blitzer similarly sought to pin down Obama's position on driver's licenses for illegal aliens. 'On the issue that apparently tripped up Senator Clinton earlier, the issue of driver's licenses for illegal immigrants, I take it, Senator Obama, you support giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Is that right?' asked Blitzer. 'When I was a state senator in Illinois, I voted to require that illegal aliens get trained, get a license, get insurance to protect public safety. That was my intention,' said Obama. 'And - but I have to make sure that people understand. The problem we have here is not driver's licenses. Undocumented workers do not come here to drive. They don't go - they're not coming here to go to the In-N-Out Burger. That's not the reason they're here,' he said ... Then Blitzer put the question to Obama again. 'Senator Obama, yes or no?' he asked. 'Yes,' said Obama." November 16, 2007; CNSNews.com

"On whether he is in favor of giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, Obama says, 'What I have said is that it is better off that we know that people who are driving know the rules of the road, are subject to insurance, are making sure that we know we can track them if they get in an accident. A lot of security experts agree with me on this issue. It's not optimal...'" November 5, 2007; Baltimore Sun via Newsweek

STATE AID TO ILLEGAL STUDENTS

Barack Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961.

In the U.S. Senate, he has focused on tackling the challenges of a globalized, 21st century world with fresh thinking and a politics that no longer settles for the lowest common denominator. His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars are spent. He has also been the lead voice in championing ethics reform that would root out Jack Abramoff-style corruption in Congress.

As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan. Recognizing the terrorist threat posed by weapons of mass destruction, he traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world. And knowing the threat we face to our economy and our security from America's addiction to oil, he's working to bring auto companies, unions, farmers, businesses and politicians of both parties together to promote the greater use of alternative fuels and higher fuel standards in our cars.

Obama, his wife, Michelle, and his two daughters, Malia, 8, and Sasha, 5, live on Chicago's South Side.