US Immigration: Obama and McCain in Agreement
04/06/2008 by Bryan Palmer
It is official - Barak Obama has been elected as the Democratic presidential candidate. Now it is time for key issues to come to the fore and US immigration, illegal and legal, is bound to become a core issue.
After a hard fought battle with Hilary Clinton for the Democratic president candidateship, Obama has finally been named the winner. Obama, the first ever African-American potential president will face up to the Republican candidate John McCain and their ideas and conflicts are bound to determine who the next president of the United States will be.
America has always been known as a land of immigrants, with the Statue of Liberty even symbolising the willingness of the US government's to accept immigrants. However times have changed, particularly as illegal immigration rises and legal immigration becomes increasing stricter. But on this issue Obama and McCain agree.
Each year an estimated half a million are thought to cross the US border illegally, mostly crossing the border via Mexico. This issue has caused a lot of controversy where tax payers feel that this kind of immigration affects them financially and rising crime levels is often blamed on illegal immigrants. Both Obama and McCain have made securing the borders to prevent the rise of illegal immigrants a top priority
In order for a highly skilled foreigner to move to the US, sponsorship is required. The US has a skills shortage and desperately need these talented professionals; however the number of those chosen each year is low and is commonly decided through a lottery. The easiest route to get to America is via a relative who is already US based. This kind of strict legislation is often blamed for the rise in illegal immigration.
It is often felt that immigration policy has become a pawn in order to gain votes in the coming elections, especially when the Latino vote has become extremely important in terms of illegal immigration. Both candidates call to close border to prevent illegals and aim to legalise some of the 12 million odd illegal immigrants.
However, when it comes to legal immigration we will have to wait and see. For many, the need for skilled workers is a reason why legislation should be more lenient. This relates to America and its competitiveness in the global economy. However, the bad rap the US has in terms of illegal immigration has put these issues on the political back burner.
There therefore is not much difference between the two immigration stances of Obama and McCain, therefore one questions how to differentiation between the two in terms of these issue. Maybe legal immigration policy could become a determining factor. As the campaign hots up we will be sure to know.
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