Another Look at Presidential Politics–Predictions for the Workplace–Obama on Immigration

Immigration is an issue that separates Senator Obama from Senator Clinton to some extent–at least, to a greater extent than the other issues already discussed. I suppose that means that Obama’s position on this issue is a bit less murky than Clinton’s. It seems reasonable to assume that his views on the subject are influenced to some extent by the fact his father was an immigrant from Kenya.

The proposed Civil Rights Act of 2008 (discussed in a previous post) contains a provision that would allow the National Labor Relations Board the authority to award undocumented employees backpay. Senator Obama is a co-sponsor of this legislation, and this provision would seem to indicate a moderate to liberal stand on one aspect of the immigration debate.

Obama co-sponsored the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2007, which would allow states to give illegal immigrants in-state tuition for higher education and let the Homeland Security Department confer legal resident status on some illegal immigrant students.

He co-sponsored the Citizenship Promotion Act of 2007, which would require the federal government to freeze the fee that legal immigrants pay for each application for services at current levels and called for $80 million a year to promote citizenship among illegal immigrants.

He voted yes on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which would have created a guest worker program and addressed border security issues.

He voted yes on the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which created 700 miles of new fence along the U.S./Mexico border.

Obama supports a serious program for employer sanctions against businesses that hire illegal aliens. However, he recognizes certain facts that make this issue a difficult one to resolve: 12 million undocumented workers are already here, and some of their children have been born in the U.S. Obama believes that it’s important to bring illegal immigrants to citizenship, but not automatic citizenship and not through amnesty programs. He has argued that when illegal immigrants become citizens, they should have to pay a fine, couldn’t have been involved in any criminal activity, and would have to learn to speak English. In addition, they couldn’t have the right to become citizens before immigrants who are in the U.S legally. It seems highly unlikely that he would support the deportation of large numbers of illegal immigrants.