Kay Hagan on Immigration

Democratic Jr Senator; previously member of State Senate

ID’ing illegal immigrants is an unfunded federal mandate

Dole has aired TV ads touting her work with sheriffs on a program that helps them identify illegal immigrants among criminal suspects.

Hagan erred in faulting that program as an “unfunded federal mandate.” Dole corrected: It’s neither mandatory nor unfunded. But she went on to accuse Hagan, falsely, of voting in the legislature to make it easier for illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses. Several times, Democrats killed measures to make it tougher before eventually approving stronger requirements, but Hagan never eased restrictions.

Dole insisted Hagan did vote on one occasion to make it easier for illegal immigrants to obtain a North Carolina driver’s license, citing the 2001 state appropriations act.

Hagan responded that that “measure was attached to the 2001 state budget bill and did not require people to prove that they were in the country legally, but did require people to show proof of residency and taxpayer identification. Hagan voted for the budget.”

Source: 2008 N.C. Senate Debate reported in Greensboro News-Record , Jun 25, 2008

Supports increased border security and opposes amnesty

The issue of immigration created sparks. Dole has made a crackdown on illegal immigrants who commit crimes a major thrust of her re-election campaign. She has helped put together a program with local sheriffs, allowing them to identify and begin deportation proceedings against people who entered the country without proper authority.

But Hagan suggested that Dole did not have much to boast about. “This is another example of where Washington is broken,” Hagan said. “Senator Dole has been in Washington for over 40 years. This problem has been there for a very long time. Since the Bush administration began, we currently have another five million illegal immigrants in this country.“

Hagan said she supported increased border security and opposed amnesty. But she said immigration was really a federal problem, rather than a state one and dismissed the sheriffs’ program as ”patchwork“ program and an unfunded federal mandate on the states.

Source: 2008 N.C. Senate Debate reported in Raleigh News & Observer , Jun 22, 2008

Deportation program is an unfunded federal mandate

Sen. Dole launched a campaign ad that touts her work on illegal immigration. The ad includes clips from a number of sheriffs who praise Dole for helping link them to federal immigration tools.

Dole’s advertisement comes one day after Hagan met with six sheriffs to discuss immigration. Hagan said she supports the idea of county-federal partnerships that put illegal immigrants who commit crimes on the path to deportation. But unlike other candidates for top statewide office, including Dole, Hagan told a group of sheriffs that she has some major concerns about how officials are proceeding with the program. “The citizens of North Carolina pay federal taxes,” Hagan told a half-dozen sheriffs during a round-table in Raleigh. “Immigration is certainly a federal issue, and the federal government cannot be throwing another unfunded federal mandate down on us at the state level.”

Dole has been a leading advocate for the program.

Source: 2008 N.C. Senate Debate: ad analysis on WRAL , May 28, 2008

Lack of immigration system is why we have unsecured border

Hagan said she wants to focus on securing borders and making sure that employers are hiring legal workers. “The whole way we handle immigration in this country is flawed,” Hagan said. “We don’t have an immigration system, and that’s why we have a border that’s not secured.” Source: 2008 N.C. Senate Debate: ad analysis on WRAL , May 28, 2008

Work towards a practical solution to end illegal immigration

Illegal immigration is a threat to national security and our economy. During the last seven years, the current administration in Washington has failed. The rule of law has been eroded as the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. nearly doubled and enforcement activity fell. In the Senate, Kay will work towards a practical solution that is fair to taxpayers and addresses the problem at its roots: by strengthening the borders, enforcing & upgrading laws that crack down on employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, and eliminating the shadow economy that drives down wages and working conditions. If North Carolina’s farmers and seasonal businesses are having trouble finding the help they need, Kay would support the reform of guest-worker programs to ensure farmers and businesses are able to meet their needs legally and stay competitive while protecting American workers’ jobs. Source: 2008 Senate campaign website, www.kayhagan.com, “Issues” , May 21, 2008

Click here for definitions & background information on Immigration. Click here for a profile of Kay Hagan. Click here for SenateMatch quiz answers by Kay Hagan. Click here for AmericansElect quiz answers by Kay Hagan. Click here for a summary of Kay Hagan's positions on all issues. Click here for issue positions of other NC politicians.
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Contact info: Fax Number: 202-224-1100 Mailing Address: Senate Office SD-521, Washington, DC 20510 Phone number: (202) 224-6342

Page last updated: Apr 22, 2013