Home > The Border Line > Archives > 2008 > November > 03
Monday, November 3, 2008
Obama would offer “pathway to citizenship”
Sen. Barack Obama fielded online questions for MTV this weekend, including one from “Gonzalez F” from Washington, D.C.
The writer said he arrived in the United States when he was 3 years old and “can’t even remember what Mexico looks like.”
He asked Obama whether he would help young immigrants like himself become citizens of the United States.
This was Obama’s answer: “I have been consistent about this. What we need is a comprehensive approach. We are serious about the borders. We make sure folks aren’t breaking the law. We crack down on employers who are unlawfully hiring undocumented workers, but we also provide a pathway to citizenship that has to be earned. People have to register, pay taxes, they have to pay a fine if they have come here illegally, they have to make sure they are learning English… I think we have to have a practical approach to this thing, so we make sure we have a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.”
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment
Obama says “laws must be obeyed” in aunt’s case
Sen. Barack Obama said Monday that his aunt, who is reportedly living in the United States illegally, should be deported if she violated the law.
Couric asked Obama if he would support his aunt being deported to Kenya.
Obama said: “If she has violated laws, then those laws have to be obeyed. We’re a nation of laws. And, you know, obviously, that doesn’t lessen my concern for her. I haven’t been able to get in touch with her, but it — you know, I’m a strong believer that you obey the law.”
The topic of illegal immigration has been largely absent from the presidential campaign until this weekend, when the Associated Press reported that Obama’s aunt from Kenya had ignored deportation orders.
The woman — Zeituni Onyango — is living in public housing in Boston and is the half-sister of Obama’s late father, according to AP.
Read more here.
