John Edwards for President-Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

"Immigration is central to the story of America, but our immigration system needs a fundamental overhaul. Our security is threatened by borders we cannot control. Our economy is harmed by a large underground economy with an unprotected labor force. And our values are violated when 12 million people live in the shadows of our society, vulnerable to abuse." – John Edwards

Strengthen Our Borders

The first step in overhauling the immigration system is to secure our borders and stop illegal trafficking. Edwards supports doubling the number of border patrol agents and investing in surveillance technology to police the borders. We also need to crack down on employers that hire undocumented immigrants. Edwards supports more vigorous workplace enforcement and increased fines for businesses that knowingly break the rules.

Provide an Earned Path to Citizenship that Requires English

It is unrealistic to think that we can deport more than 12 million people. Edwards believes people who are already here should have the opportunity to earn American citizenship by avoiding a criminal record, paying a fine in recognition that they came here illegally, and learning English – the surest path to success in this country.

Preserve Family Reunification

Our immigration policies should bring families together, not keep them apart. Edwards believes family reunification is an important value that our immigration laws should continue to respect. We should remove barriers to family reunification.

No New Second-Class of Laborers

America is a land of equals, not a land of first-class citizens and second-class laborers. Edwards opposes new temporary guest worker programs that do not provide adequate workplace protections and a reasonable path to citizenship. If we invite you to work in America, we should invite you to become an American with all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

End the Backlog

The process for background checks on legal immigrants has broken down, delaying proper applications for naturalization and jeopardizing security. The backlog of applications has doubled to nearly 330,000. Edwards will end the background check backlog for people who are already in this country and are applying to become lawful permanent residents and, eventually, citizens.