McCain's Vague Immigration Policy Reflects His Precarious Positioning

Washington, DC – This past weekend, Senator John McCain called comprehensive immigration reform legislation – a position he had backed away from during the Republican primary – his “top priority” if elected President.

Speaking at the annual conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), Senator McCain fielded a question about whether “comprehensive immigration reform--and not just enforcement” would be “one of your top policy priorities in your first 100 days in office.” He responded by saying "It'll be my top priority, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We have to secure our borders. That's the message. But we also must proceed with a temporary worker program that is verifiable and truly temporary. We must also understand that there are 12 million people who are here, and they are here illegally, and they are God's children."

The Q&A response appeared to go further in his support for comprehensive immigration reform legislation than originally outlined in his prepared remarks, during which he told the audience: "We must prove…that we can and will secure our borders first, while respecting the dignity and rights of citizens and legal residents of the United States."

“I’m glad Senator McCain appeared at the NALEO conference and offered vague support for comprehensive immigration reform. I don’t think we should expect many details, though, because he’s caught between the Republicans’ restrictionist right wing base and the country’s larger desire for solutions and practical immigration policies,” said Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice. “But you can’t have it both ways. If Senator McCain doesn’t challenge the extremist base of his Party, he risks further alienating Latino voters. But if he does return more fully to his prior position of supporting comprehensive reform legislation, he risks the ire of the G.O.P.’s base – who are moving further and further from the American mainstream on this issue. I hope he continues to advocate for a sensible and comprehensive reform, but the real test will be the next time he speaks before a right wing audience.”

America’s Voice is the newly-founded communications and rapid-response arm of a reinvigorated campaign to advance immigration reform. Its goal is to build the public support and political power necessary to enact broad immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million immigrants working and living in the U.S. without legal status.

www.americasvoiceonline.org