Politics

Presumptive presidential nominees Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and John McCain (R-AZ) will speak at the League of United Latin American Citizens during the organization’s national convention at the Washington Hilton Hotel on July 8th. Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) will appear at the organization’s Presidential Banquet on Friday, July 11th. All three Senators underscore the importance candidates are placing on the Latino vote in the upcoming election.

McCain will speak at LULAC’s Unity Luncheon at noon on July 8 in the International Ballroom of the Hilton at 1919 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Obama will speak at an “Open Dialogue with Obama” Forum on the same day at 4:30 p.m. in the International Ballroom. Senator Clinton is scheduled to address the convention’s Presidential Awards Banquet at 7 p.m. on July 11.

The Presidential candidates Senator Obama and Senator McCain will appear before hundreds of Latino leaders from across the country, community, political and business leaders at the 79th annual convention of the nation’s oldest and largest Hispanic advocacy group. “The candidates are vigorously vying for the Latino vote,” said Rosa Rosales, LULAC National President of the 115,000-member organization. “Our voting power has been an important factor in the last decade and it is becoming more critical with each election, particularly in key battleground states such as Florida, Ohio, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Florida. At least 9.2 million Latinos will cast their votes this November.”

LULAC, a nonpartisan civil rights organization, is participating in a nationwide voter registration drive aimed at significantly increasing the Hispanic vote in the Nov. 4 election. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, “Hispanics constitute a sizable share of the electorate in four of the six states that President Bush carried by margins of five percentage points or fewer in 2004 — New Mexico (where Hispanics make up 37% of the state’s eligible electorate); Florida (14%); Nevada (12%) and Colorado (12%). All four are expected to be closely contested once again in 2008.”

The theme of LULAC’s convention, America’s Latino Community Center Stage, highlights the importance of Latino voters in determining the next president. “Every year the LULAC national convention draws attention to the challenges facing Latino,” said Ms. Rosales. “This year will be no exception as we focus on such issues as voter participation, education, immigration and health care reform and the need to increase Latino representation in the highest levels of government and corporate governance. We are delighted that Senator Obama, Senator Clinton and Senator McCain will be joining us as we work on these critical issues.

For more information or to register for the convention visit,

A one-time political apprentice of former Gov. Jeb Bush has earned her way to the top job in Sen. John McCain’s Florida campaign, where she’ll have to prove her stripes in a must-win state.”*

Update Correction (6/25/08): When originally posted, we failed to notice that the referenced article was an Associated Press article and not one originally reported on by El Nuevo Herald staff. Our apologies. Yet, the basic premise of the post is correct and today, the Associated Press, issued a correction of their own on the article.)”*

THE PRESIDENT: Gracias. Siéntese. (Laughter.) Luis, thank you, sir. So he asked, would I come to the prayer breakfast. My answer was, por supuesto. (Laughter.) I am honored to join you. I was proud to stand with you in 2002 at the first National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast. Today, I am proud to stand with you for the final time as your sitting President. This happens to be an important event, in my view. It’s an important event because it reminds us that no matter what our status in life might be, that we have a duty to respond to a higher power. You know, next year in Crawford, Laura and I are going to have a different kind of prayer breakfast. I’ll be cooking the eggs, and she’ll be praying I don’t burn them. (Laughter.)

I do want to welcome the First Lady of Panama, Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos. Thank you for coming. (Applause.) As some of you may or may not know, the — mi niñita lived in Panama for a while, and the government and the people there were so kind and hospitable, and I’ll never be able to repay you for that. So thank you very much. Please give your esposo my best regards, el Presidente de Panamá. Sí, thank you. Proud to be here with pastors and community leaders. Thank you for doing what you’re doing.

Each of you here this morning is here to celebrate a simple and powerful act –- prayer to an Almighty God. You know the comfort that comes from placing our worries in the hands of a higher power. You know the humility that comes from approaching our Maker on bended knee. And you know the strength that comes from lifting our thoughts from worldly cares and focusing on the eternal.

Today I ask all to join together to pray that God continues to bestow His blessings on our wonderful country. We pray that the Almighty will strengthen America’s families. A caring family is the foundation of a hopeful society. We pray that every child in America can grow up in a loving and stable home. We pray for the day when every child in America is welcomed in life and protected in law. (Applause.) And we pray that in every community across this great land, the Almighty will strengthen los valores de la familia y de la fe. (Applause.)

We pray that America will strengthen those who serve nuestros hermanos y hermanas in need. We pray for the continued success of faith-based and community groups like Esperanza — (applause) — all aiming to transfer [sic] our great country one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time. I was proud to hear of the work of Esperanza in Philadelphia. I’ve known Esperanza for ochos años. I was first impressed by the vision of making sure that every child gets a good education. It’s Luis who started the charter school. It’s a tremendous school. Less than one percent of students drop out –- and more than 90 percent of the graduates are planning to go to college this fall. There’s nothing more hopeful than to give a child a good education. (Applause.)

I’m impressed by the program called Esperanza Trabajando. This program helps at-risk youths and former prisoners move from lives of hopelessness to futures of accomplishment and self-sufficiency. Esperanza Trabajando, for those of you who don’t speak Spanish — and frankly, mine isn’t all that good — (laughter) — means “Hope is Working” –- and that’s exactly what you are demonstrating, Luis, and others in this room demonstrate cada día — every day.

For the past eight years, my administration has provided unprecedented support for the compassionate work performed by faith-based and community groups, because I understand this: government can hand out money, but government cannot put hope in a person’s heart. And oftentimes that is found in our faith community and our community organizations. And so we’ve lowered the barriers that kept government and faith-based groups needlessly divided –- and ensured that America’s armies of compassion are at the center of our nation’s efforts to make our society more hopeful for every individual.

Organizations like yours have shown the ability to save and change lives. And in your mercies of love and mercy, you must always have a strong and reliable partner in government.

We pray that Almighty will strengthen and protect those who serve the cause of freedom. These brave men and women share our cherished belief that the desire for liberty is written by the Almighty in every human heart. We believe in the universality of freedom. And where we see people suffer from forms of government that create hopelessness, or disease and hunger, and mosquito bites, that deny people a hopeful life, the United States must act under the theory, under the principle that to whom much is given, much is required. (Applause.)

I’m impressed, deeply impressed by those who wear our nation’s uniform. (Applause.) I appreciate — some have given their lives, others have suffered injuries in freedom’s cause. And this morning, I am honored to note that five brave servicemen who are being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center are with us today. We thank you for your sacrifice, we pray for your recovery, and we honor your service to the United States of America. (Applause.)

This, like, might not be on the schedule, but if you five guys would mind letting me have my picture taken with you, I’d be honored — so, like, when the speech is about to end, which is soon, head to the exits, and I’ll see you.

We also honor those who struggle for freedom against oppressive regimes. It’s essential that the United States always remember, in our great comfort that we always remember that there are those who want their freedom just like we have our freedom. One of those men is Juan Carlos Gonzales Leiva. He’s a lawyer and human rights activist on the island of Cuba. Juan Carlos was unjustly jailed for more than two years by the Cuban regime because he supported a dissident journalist. While he was imprisoned, his cane and his dark glasses were confiscated –- which was especially cruel, because Juan Carlos is blind. The guards took away his Braille Bible. But they could not take away his spirit. Today, Juan Carlos is no longer in jail, but he remains under the surveillance of the Cuban government.

Juan Carlos continues his important fight for human rights in Cuba, and the United States must always stand squarely with those who struggle for their human rights against tyranny. And today we’re honored that his hermano is with us. Onel Ramon Gonzales Leiva is here on his behalf. Onel, we want to thank you for coming. Our prayers go out to your brother and those who struggle with him. And we ask for the day, we pray for the day when the light of liberty shines on the people of Cuba and those who long for freedom. Onel, bienvenidos. (Applause.)

So as I mentioned, this is my last visit as your President to the Hispanic Prayer Breakfast. It’s been a joy every time I have come. During the last seven-and-a-half years, I have been touched by how many Americans have come up and said, “I’m praying for you, Mr. President.” People I’ve never seen before in my life, may never see again. It’s amazing, you would think they would come up and say, I’d like a new highway, or — (laughter) — how about an additional bridge. But, no, total strangers come and say, I just want you to know we lift you up in prayer. Somebody asked me what all that meant, and I said, well, you know, I’m finally beginning to understand the story of the calm in the rough seas. And I attribute it to the fact that millions of people have been so kind and generous to pray for me and Laura.

And so on my final trip here as your sitting President, I thank you for your prayers. I can’t thank you enough for your spiritual support. And it’s made a significant difference during these seven-and-a-half years. Being your President has been an unimaginable honor and a joyous experience.

Thank you, and God bless.

“*

An aide of U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, contacted the Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant attache in Mexico to report that a Mexican citizen who is related to Reyes had been kidnapped, according to an internal ICE memo.”*

In a room just off Passaic Avenue with the ceiling fan spinning down on about 30 people in early summer, Jose Sandoval starts with the Lord’s Prayer, then goes into his attack plan for the Nov. 4th special election.

Although he’s never held elected office, Sandoval’s been through this drill before, having run unsuccessfully for the Assembly against Gary Schaer in 2005 and the U.S. Congress a year later against U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8). “*

For the first time since they have been in Congress, Florida’s three Cuban-American Republicans find themselves in a brawl to stay in Washington.

A Democratic sweep is unlikely. But taking at least one out of the three seats would signal the collapse of the Cuban-GOP connection, which for three decades proved so fruitful to the party yet brought little benefit to the community and failed to move Cuba toward democracy. “*

Barack Obama and John McCain are coveting the ever-growing Latino vote and both have obstacles to overcome to win over these communities. Orange County Hispanics have some advice for the presumptive presidential candidates — talk to us up close and personal and resist the urge to pander.

McCain’s California Latino Chairman Mario Rodriquez of San Clemente says he knows his candidate has to appeal to Hispanics one-on-one and that the candidate has to get beyond the intense anti-immigrant rhetoric that he concedes some in the GOP have engaged in.”*

About four months ago, I wrote a column that disputed that popular theory. Sure, some Latinos are racist since there are racists in every ethnic and racial group, but I hadn’t seen any evidence that the problem is worse among Hispanics.

Therefore, I argued, you couldn’t dismiss overwhelming Latino support for Sen. Hillary Clinton over Obama as the result of racism.”*

The burst of anger on the Barack Obama campaign’s recent news media call was unexpected, but it should not have been a surprise.

For weeks, members of the Spanish-language media had been blogging, writing and outright complaining that the presidential campaigns have not been paying attention to them.

First, they expressed frustration about Republican John McCain’s campaign. About the same time, McCain brought on a media specialist to deal with the Hispanic press.”*

Q: Hispanic voters in the primary, given the choice between you and Sen. (Hillary) Clinton, chose her in greater numbers. Now that the choice is between you and Sen. (John) McCain, what do you do to win them over?

A: I don’t normally pay much attention to polls, but the latest polls have us beating John McCain by 35 points among Hispanic voters. I do think we’ve got room to grow by letting them know of my track record. I’m not new to the issues that are important to the Latino community. I organized in communities, bringing black, white and Hispanics together around jobtraining and after-school programs in Chicago. I’ve been a consistent supporter of programs like the Dream Act that provide in-state tuition in Illinois to children of the undocumented. I’ve been a leader on comprehensive immigration reform. “*

High-achieving Latino students will debate issues and experience the complex world of government while participating in the National Hispanic Institute’s 19th Annual Colorado Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session June 22-29.

The Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session, sponsored by and held on the Colorado State University campus, is a weeklong conference where students engage in a mock legislative process and judicial hearings that examine the challenges faced in Hispanic communities. Students representing Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and the countries of Mexico and Panama will attend.

The event gives high school sophomores and juniors a better understanding of community equity building and a chance to improve their skills in public speaking, organizational management and constituency building.

“This experience challenges students to examine their cultural ties and understanding of the Latino community and inspires them to become involved,” said Varo Maldonado, conference coordinator and associate director of Admissions at Colorado State. “All participants emerge with a new understanding of how they can shape their future and that of the Latino community through a better understanding of the political system.”

The weeklong session features activities that include a general convention, senate and Supreme Court speeches, legislative sessions, Supreme Court trials and committee hearings.

Students will campaign for elected positions such as governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house, senators, attorneys, or one of nine Supreme Court justice positions. Candidates will make speeches before the delegation and work to build constituencies. Each student must identify issues facing the Latino community and address them with long-term solutions. Students present and debate the merits of their proposed solutions before their peers and strive to have their ideas passed into law.

Colorado State University and the National Hispanic Institute have co-hosted this event since 1990. To qualify, students must have 3.2 grade-point averages or above and must be enrolled in a college-bound, high-school curriculum.

Ernesto Nieto, executive director of the National Hispanic Institute, founded the non-profit organization in 1979 as a way to encourage young Latino students to enhance their leadership abilities and actively participate in the Latino community. Students interested in participating in next year’s conference may contact Varo Maldonado in the Office of Admissions at Colorado State at (970) 491-6311.”*

There are dramatic signs that the fabled “sleeping giant” of the American electorate, the Latino vote, has awoken for the 2008 presidential race - putting Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama in heated competition for what could be a game-changing prize.

And the candidates’ reaction to that awakening explains this week’s flurry of activity: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., will address the nation’s largest association of Latino officials today in Washington, D.C., the day before her much-ballyhooed joint appearance with Obama in New Hampshire. Both the candidates plan to cross paths before the same group, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, this weekend.”*

The forum, part of the three-day National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast Conference held in Washington, D.C., was promoted as recently as Tuesday as open to media coverage. However, on the morning of the event, it was closed to the press.

Marisol Martinez, spokeswoman for Esperanza, which sponsored the prayer breakfast conference, said Wednesday morning: “We are keeping the press out at the campaign managers’ request.” “*

So did you know this? If you didn’t, perhaps you could send it to someone you know to help spread the knowledge and please tell them about HispanicTips.

View more “Did You Know?” facts in our “Did You Know?” section

But Virginia’s governor has another attribute — one that hasn’t gotten so much attention: Tim Kaine speaks fluent Spanish.

“Senador Obama es un hombre bien listo,” Kaine tells crowds gathered to see the presumptive Democratic nominee.”*

In an effort to rally Hispanic voters locally, Democracia USA, a national civic-engagement group, has registered nearly 9,800 new Latino voters in Pennsylvania, and nearly 3,700 in New Jersey, since January.

Of the new Pennsylvania voters, nearly two-thirds live in Berks and Lehigh Counties and one-fifth live in Philadelphia, Democracia president Jorge Mursuli said at a news conference yesterday at the National Constitution Center.”*

With Newsom considering a run for governor in 2010 and Villaraigosa also seen as a possible contender, observers say tonight’s fundraiser could be an indication of the powerful political alliances that will form if the two mayors face off against each other, with some big Northern California names supporting someone other than the hometown candidate.

“Whether they want to admit it or not, it’s saying these are people who are declaring their support for him (Villaraigosa) over Newsom,” said Barbara O’Connor, professor of political communication at Cal State Sacramento.”*

He may be the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party, but John McCain has yet to heal all the wounds on his right flank.

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), a failed presidential rival of McCain’s and an anti-illegal immigration gadfly, launched into the senator from Arizona for meeting in secret with Latino leaders last week in Chicago. One participant in the meeting emerged to criticize McCain for taking a tougher stand on illegal immigration on the campaign trail than the line he allegedly used behind closed doors. Now, Tancredo is taking up the cudgel in an open letter to his party’s presumptive nominee.”*

ABC News’ Z. Byron Wolf Reports from Capitol Hill: Sen. John McCain took some grief from the Left for keeping a tight handle on who he invited to his secret meeting with Hispanics in Chicago last week. And he took some grief from the Right for apparently promising at that meeting to pursue a pathway to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.

The grief from the Right continued today. Anti-amnesty crusader Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., wrote McCain a letter calling him out on the meeting, questioning McCain’s commitment to pledges made earlier in the campaign, and snarkily invoking McCain’s “Straight Talk” mantra.”*

Congress in Paraguay is set to meet to decide whether to accept President Nicanor Duarte’s resignation so he can take up a seat in the Senate.

Mr Duarte resigned on Monday, two months before president-elect Fernando Lugo is due to be sworn in. “*

It was a mistake that would sink most political careers: While serving as Mexico City police chief, Marcelo Ebrard failed to save three undercover agents from being burned alive by a lynch mob.

Television cameras captured city cops watching idly as the angry crowd set their fellow officers ablaze, and Ebrard lost his job.

But just four years later, the former federal congressman and peace negotiator has rebounded spectacularly to become Mexico City’s mayor and a favorite for the 2012 presidential elections.”*

nivision Communications Inc., the nation’s leading Spanish-language media company, and the “Ya es Hora” (It’s Time) national partners, announced the expansion of this award-winning civic engagement campaign through new local efforts in partnership with mayors in the top Hispanic cities to register and mobilize voters. Mayors partnering in this effort include New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Houston Mayor Bill White.

As part of the partnership, the mayors will participate in public service announcements (PSAs) to run on Univision, Univision Radio and Univision.com (Keyword: Ya es Hora), which will support local grassroots activities taking place in their communities. In addition, Univision will also launch new PSAs focused on informing its audiences about absentee voting.

“The fact that today we are able to engage the mayors of cities with large Hispanic populations in this effort means that we will be able to further enhance our reach and mobilize our community,” said Cesar Conde, executive vice president and chief strategy officer, Univision Communications Inc. “Hispanics will be instrumental in electing the next president of the United States and we are committed to doing our part to empower this important constituency.”

”Our ability to ensure our constituents are informed and able to participate in local, state and national elections is critical,” said Mayor Diaz. ”One of our priorities at the U.S. Conference of Mayors is promoting civic engagement which makes the partnership between the mayors of these Hispanic cities, Univision and the ‘Ya es Hora’ partnership crucial to our efforts.”

“We have seen unprecedented engagement by Hispanics in the primaries because of the ‘Ya es Hora’ campaign,” said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the NALEO Educational Fund, a national “Ya es Hora” partner. “This speaks to the power of ongoing outreach and information efforts. Most importantly, it once again highlights the commitment of Hispanics across the country to become active, and have a voice, in their communities.”

“In the last few months we have had thousands of Hispanics become naturalized citizens in the Los Angeles area because of the ‘Ya Es Hora’ campaign,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “By helping these new citizens, as well as any other eligible voters to register to vote, we will increase participation at the polls and enhance civic participation, which is vital in a thriving democracy.”

“Latinos comprise a powerful and growing segment of voters in America,” said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. “In this day and age, candidates for the most powerful offices in the country know that to win, they must appeal to Latinos. Thanks to the great work of Univision and NALEO on the ‘Ya es Hora’ campaign, I expect Latinos to flood the polls this November and play a major role in deciding who becomes the next President of the United States.”

The Peabody award-winning “Ya es Hora” initiative is a national civic engagement campaign developed to inform, educate and motivate Hispanics to participate in the American political dialogue by leveraging the power of a coalition of the nation’s largest and most established Hispanic organizations and the country’s largest Spanish-language media companies. Since January 2007, the campaign has mobilized close to 1.4 million eligible immigrants to apply for citizenship, secured more than 400 local community based organizations as partners, generated more than 40,000 calls to the 888-Ve-Y-Vota toll free number, driven more than 94,000 unique visits to www.yaeshora.info, distributed more than 110,000 brochures and conducted more than 200 citizenship workshops. Univision, the NALEO Educational Fund, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), National Council of La Raza, ImpreMedia, Entravision Communications, Mi Familia Vota Educational Fund and more than 400 organizations are partners in this effort.

About the NALEO Educational Fund:

The NALEO Educational Fund is the leading nonprofit organization that facilitates the full participation of Latinos in the American political process, from citizenship to public service.

About Univision Communications Inc.:

Univision Communications Inc. is the premier Spanish-language media company in the United States. Its operations include Univision Network, the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the U.S. reaching 97% of U.S. Hispanic Households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language broadcast television network, which was launched in 2002 and now reaches 85% of U.S. Hispanic Households; Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network; Univision Television Group, which owns and operates 63 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Spanish-language radio group which owns and/or operates 70 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and 5 stations in Puerto Rico; and Univision Online, the premier Spanish-language Internet destination in the U.S. located at http://www.univision.com. Univision Communications also has a 50% interest in TuTv, a joint venture formed to broadcast Televisa’s pay television channels in the U.S. Univision Communications has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States.

For more information, please visit www.univision.net.

Contacts

Univision Communications Inc., New York
Mónica Talán, 212-455-5331 or 917-331-9327
marketingcomm@univision.net

“*

John McCain held a town
hall meeting with Latinos in Chicago, Illinois last night, but unlike all
of his other town hall meetings, this one took place behind closed doors.
One hundred pre-screened Latinos were bused in to Chicago for the meeting,
but community leaders like Eluid Medina, who heads a neighborhood
networking group, were kept out according to a news report. Medina told
Diario Hoy that a conversation on the challenges Latinos face, "can't be
partisan, the problems affect us all as a community and the meeting should
have been open." [Diario Hoy, 6/19/08]

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080519/DNCLOGO )

McCain’s closed-door town hall meeting with a pre-screened audience
comes as recent polls show John McCain has a problem with Latino voters. A
recent NBC/WSJ poll “showed Hispanics breaking for Obama 62%-28%” and “a
new survey of 800 Latino voters from 21 states finds that 60% of them plan
to vote for Obama versus 23% for McCain.” [MSNBC First Read, 6/17/08]

Thus, even in a pre-screened audience, McCain could not avoid tough
questions. According to Hoy, Republican Precinct Committeeman Abraham
Romero, who was invited to attend, said he hoped to ask Senator McCain what
his plans are for undocumented immigrants. [Diario Hoy, 6/19/08] In recent
weeks McCain has tried to have it both ways on immigration reform,
declaring his belief in the need for comprehensive immigration reform to
court Latino voters, but often in the same sentence appeasing conservative
anti-immigrants by saying he’ll pursue an enforcement-first approach, very
different from comprehensive reform. [nytimes.com, 5/22/08; Stockton
Record, 5/25/08]

“After countless public town hall meetings with a variety of voters,”
asked DNC spokesman Luis Miranda, “why is John McCain holding a town hall
meeting with Latinos late at night, behind closed doors, and only with a
pre-screened audience? Latinos and all Americans deserve real answers on
where John McCain really stands. He can’t both support comprehensive reform
and enforcement-only, he can’t promise change while offering a third Bush
term on everything from Iraq to the economy, and he can’t expect Latino
voters to trust him while he’ll only address their issues in private.”

WHERE DOES MCCAIN REALLY STAND ON IMMIGRATION REFORM?

2006: McCain Championed The McCain-Kennedy Earned Legalization
Immigration Bill. McCain campaigned for the McCain-Kennedy bill which was
described as “the most generous of the bills now before Congress.” The
legislation “would legalize as many as 11 million undocumented immigrants”
and “grant temporary work permits to illegal immigrants and then after
waiting six years and paying a $2,000 fine, it would enable them to apply
for green cards.” [Miami Herald, 2/24/06]

2008: McCain Said He Would Oppose the Legislation He Authored With
Kennedy. Asked whether he would vote for the immigration legislation he
previously sponsored, McCain eventually replied, “No, I would not.” [CNN
GOP Presidential Debate, 1/30/08]

2006: McCain Said an “Enforcement First” Strategy Focusing Only on
Border Security is an “Ineffective And Ill-Advised Approach.” “In April
[2006], the Senate overwhelmingly passed, in a bipartisan fashion, a
comprehensive immigration reform package designed to secure our borders as
well as address the economic need for workers in our Nation. In passing
this legislation, the Senate rejected the argument for an ‘enforcement
first’ strategy that focuses on border security only, an ineffective and
ill-advised approach. Congress cannot take a piecemeal approach to a
national security crisis. I believe the only way to truly secure our border
and protect our Nation is through the enactment of comprehensive
immigration reform. As long as there is a need for workers in the United
States and people are willing to cross the desert to make a better life for
their families, our border will never be secure.” [McCain, Congressional
Record, 9/29/06]

2007: Presidential Candidate McCain Touts Securing The Border First. In
2008, McCain said, “And our proposal has got to be securing the borders
first. The American people have no trust or confidence in us that we would
secure the borders.” In November 2007, McCain argued, “I want to assure you
that I’ll enforce the borders first.” [CNN Larry King Live, 2/14/08;
CNN/YouTube Republican Presidential Debate, 11/28/07]

2008: Trying to Have it Both Ways, McCain Calls For Comprehensive
Immigration Reform AND Enforcement First Approach. In California at “a
roundtable with business leaders” McCain said “that comprehensive
immigration reform should be a top priority for the next president.”
[nytimes.com, 5/22/08] But McCain is also campaigning on an enforcement
first approach, very different from comprehensive reform. “I believe we
have to secure our borders, and that our border need to be secured first,”
McCain told an audience in Stockton, California. In that same speech he
claimed to “believe that we need a comprehensive approach… After the
borders are secured, and the border state governors — including the
governor of this state — certify that the borders are secure…” [Stockton
Record, 5/25/08]

WHERE DOES MCCAIN STAND ON THE DREAM ACT

2003 & 2005 & 2007: McCain Co-Sponsored The DREAM Act. McCain
co-sponsored versions of the DREAM Act in 2003, 2005, and early 2007. [S
1545, introduced 7/31/03; S 2075, introduced 11/21/05; S 774, introduced
3/6/07]

NOW in 2007: McCain Skipped Vote On DREAM Act But Said He Would Have
Voted Against Bill That He Co-Sponsored. “Last week, McCain skipped a
Senate vote on immigration legislation called the DREAM Act - Development
Relief and Education for Alien Minors. He then said he would have voted
against the bill, even though he was a co-sponsor.” [Myrtle Beach Sun-News,
11/2/07]

Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee,
http://www.democrats.org.

This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s
committee.

“*