2007 Democratic Primary Debate in Las Vegas, Nevada, Nov.15, 2007: on Immigration
Barack Obama:
Comprehensive solution includes employers & borders
What we have to do is create a comprehensive solution to the problem. As president I will make sure that we finally have the kind of border security that we need. Employers have to be held accountable. When we do those things, we can take the illegal
aliens who are here, get them out of the shadows, make sure that they are subject to a stiff penalty, make sure that they’re learning English and go to the back of the line so they’re not getting an advantage over people who came here legally.
Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov 15, 2007
Barack Obama:
Undocumented workers come here to work, not to drive
When I was a state senator in Illinois, I voted to require that illegal aliens get trained, get a license, get insurance to protect public safety. That was my intention. The problem we have here is not driver’s licenses. Undocumented workers do not come
here to drive. They’re here to work. Instead of being distracting by what has now become a wedge issue, let’s focus on actually solving the problem that this administration, the Bush administration, had done nothing about it.
Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov 15, 2007
Barack Obama:
Support granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants
Q: In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, do you support driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants? A: Yes.
I am going to be fighting for comprehensive immigration reform, and we shouldn’t pose the question that, somehow, we can’t achieve that. The American people desperately want it; that’s what I’m going to be fighting for as president.
Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov 15, 2007
Barack Obama:
FactCheck: Lightning IS likelier than employer prosecution
One Obama claim that we wondered about turned out to be true, or at least close enough. Obama said, “An employer has more of a chance of getting hit by lightning than being prosecuted for hiring an undocumented worker. That has to change.”
We find different estimates of the number of persons struck by lightning, ranging from 600 to 1,000 people killed or injured by lightning in the US per year.
We have no idea how many of those lightning casualties are employers, let alone how many might have hired illegal aliens. What we do know is that the Immigration and
Customs Enforcement service reports that in the most recent 12-month period on record, the total number of arrests of persons in the “employer supervisory chain” was 91.
Source: FactCheck on 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas
Nov 15, 2007
Bill Richardson:
Allowed giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants
Q: In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, do you support driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants?A: My answer is yes, and I did it. Because the Congress and Bush failed miserably to pass comprehensive immigration. My legislature sent me
a bill. I signed it. My enforcement people said it’s a matter of public safety. What we need is public safety, a reduction in traffic fatalities. When we started with this program, 33% of all New Mexicans were uninsured. Today, it’s 11%.
Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov 15, 2007
Chris Dodd:
Oppose granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants
Q: In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, do you support driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants?
A: No, drivers’ licenses are the wrong thing to be doing, in terms of attracting people to come here as undocumented.
Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov 15, 2007
Dennis Kucinich:
There aren’t any illegal human beings
Q: In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, do you support driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants?A: I take issue with your description of people being illegal immigrants. There aren’t any illegal human beings. They are undocumented.
The best way to deal with this is cancel NAFTA and renegotiate the trade agreement with Mexico. You give people a path to legalization and make sure that you don’t criminalize their status any further. I take exception to the way you framed that question
Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov 15, 2007
Hillary Clinton:
Oppose granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants
Q: In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, do you support driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants?
A: No.
Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov 15, 2007
Joe Biden:
Oppose granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants
Q: In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, do you support driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants?
A: No.
Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov 15, 2007
John Edwards:
Oppose granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants
Q: In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, do you support driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants? A: No, but I don’t accept the proposition that we’re not going to have comprehensive immigration reform. What I do support, and what
I will do as president of the US, is move this country toward comprehensive immigration reform. And anyone who’s on the path to earning American citizenship should be able to have a driver’s license.
Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov 15, 2007
Page last updated: Nov 30, 2018