Despite a tremendous backlash from conservative Republicans, McCain reached across party lines and worked with Democrats in an effort to achieve an immigration reform upon which both parties could agree. The result was legislation that wound up being too radical and sweeping in its approach.
McCain’s close work with Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy on immigration was one glaring area that accounted for his political problems with conservatives. McCain nevertheless said he was proud of the bipartisan effort he made with Kennedy and other Democrats. He said he believes his ability to work with legislators with opposing views helps qualify him to be president.
“The American people want us to work together on issues that are important to the American people,” McCain told Tim Russert on Meet the Press in 2007. “That's my record.”
After both his attempts at immigration reform failed to receive Congressional approval, McCain reassured conservatives that before he proposes or signs on to any further immigration reform legislation, it would first have to include a plan to secure borders. His assurances have helped recruit conservative Congressman, and McCain now believes the Senate is as close as ever to passing meaningful immigration reform. His current initiative is now a two-pronged approach to accomplish both border security and immigration reform.
Border security
The first step in McCain’s plan is to expedite the secure border measures quickly. All governors of border states will be required to certify that their state borders are secure. Steps to security include:
- Setting clear guidelines and objectives for securing the border through physical and virtual barriers
- Ensuring that adequate funding is provided for resources on the ground, but also training facilities, support staff and the deployment of technologies
- Dedicating funding to US Attorney’s offices in border states
- Implementing sound policies for contracting Department of Homeland Security software and infrastructure
- Deploy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and other aircraft where needed and appropriate in the border region
- Continue implementation of the US-VISIT comprehensive visitor security program
Once the borders are secure, McCain plans to implement an electronic employment verification system to eliminate “bad employers.” This system will ensure that individuals are screened for work eligibility in real-time. This system would be tied to the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to identify and prosecute employers who are hiring illegals.
In order to meet America’s labor needs, McCain’s plan calls for temporary work visas for high-tech and low-skilled immigrants that would rise and fall based on market conditions and programs to increase available green card numbers to reflect employer and employee demand. McCain’s priority, however would be to ensure that American workers are given primary opportunities to apply for available positions.
For low-skilled non-agricultural illegal immigrants, a usable, market-based system would be implemented to ensure entry into the US is done in an orderly fashion. This program would also ensure that workers return to their home countries after their temporary period in the United States.
Address Undocumented Illegals
McCain’s plan will require all undocumented illegal immigrants to enroll in a program to resolve their status by using background checks to identify criminal aliens for prosecution and deportation. Aliens who are not deported will be required to learn English, pay back taxes and fines and pass a citizenship course to become legal. This process will also identify and account for all compromised social security numbers, rectify the accounts and notify the victims.
Unite Families and Eliminate Backlogs
The idea behind McCain’s program is to clear the undocumented classifications of all resident aliens and remove their second class status. The program will also help unite families, weed out criminal aliens and provide relief to illegal aliens who were brought to the US as minors through no fault of their own.
The waiting list for family members of resident aliens who are awaiting entry into the US is 20 years in some cases. McCain’s program will help expedite the wait list and ensure deported aliens are replaced with legal family members of resident aliens working toward citizenship.
Amnesty
Although McCain has been said to have supported amnesty, he has repeatedly denied advocating, supporting or condoning any kind of rewards for illegal activity -- including illegal residency. McCain equates “amnesty” with “forgiveness” and his past proposals explicitly require illegals to pay fines, get back on the wait list for legal entry into the country and be deported indefinitely. In every piece of immigration legislation he’s authored, McCain ha
