McCain Promises Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants

After avoiding the heated immigration issue for months, John McCain assured a Pennsylvania crowd this week that as commander in chief he will enact comprehensive immigration reform and touted his credentials as an immigrant advocate alienated from his own party for supporting the failed amnesty bill.

The Republican presidential candidate finally went on the record with his plan to create a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. He also vowed to create a temporary worker program and admitted that his immigration advocacy almost cost him the party’s nomination.

The veteran Arizona senator said enacting comprehensive immigration reform will make the U.S. stronger and that immigrants have already enriched our nation. Because amnesty for illegal aliens is highly unpopular among most Republicans, McCain bragged about his record of reform and standing against his own party and his own president when necessary.

The stance of McCain’s running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, on this crucial issue is unknown. An interesting fact, however, is that Alaska has a statewide ordinance forbidding state agencies from enforcing federal immigration laws and three cities—Anchorage, Fairbanks and Sitka—have similar separate local measures to protect illegal aliens.