If you're following the 2008 presidential campaign at all, you probably caught Barack Obama's article from a couple of days ago about illegal immigration. Now, I'm an Obama supporter for many reasons, and one of those is because his stance and history on immigration are closer to mine than Clinton's or McCain's. Even so, he's not bringing anything new to the table on the issue, and some of the things he says are so vague that they could go either way for us. He has said with a certainty that he will pass the DREAM Act within the first 100 days of his administration if elected--and for that I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on some other things. However, some of it still makes me scratch my head...

First of all, Obama mentions that migrants often "risk death in the desert to come here illegally", but he leaves it at that. We know that the stricter border enforcement since the '90s has led to more deaths from heat, drowning, frostbite, and so on to the tune of over a thousand. What does Obama think should be done to keep the border secure in the most humane way? Does he plan on working together with Mexico on migration prevention programs which involve improving local economies? Does he plan on opening up more venues for legal immigration from people who are low on the economic/skill/education ladder?

He also skillfully details a few ways that the border could be secured without once mentioning the wall--which he voted for. Nice try, Barry, but we ain't forgetting. He also talks about Everify (that is the "mandatory electronic system that enables employers to verify the legal status of their employees within days of hiring them"), but not about the issues it has with errors and how to improve them.

But the one thing that really makes me tilt my head to the side is his position that undocumented migrants must "go to the back of the line for citizenship", something that he's stated over and over again. What does that mean? It's so strange to talk about citizenship when that is such a long way off, since you can't just hop from any immigration status to citizenship anyway. We're not worried about citizenship--of course they'll have to wait in line for that. But what does he have in mind in the meantime? Does he think that people who are here illegally should be given permanent residency if they meet requirements, have no criminal record, pay a fine, and learn English, or is that what he's really talking about waiting in line for? Does he have something in mind like 245(i), a provision extended in 2000 which allowed some undocumented migrants to be sponsored by employers or family members for permanent residency if they applied before the end of April in 2001--which, if you can tell by DREAMActivist and DreamAdvocate, who are both beneficiaries of 245(i), still hasn't changed the fact that they're undocumented.

So what is it, Obama? Can you be a little more clear? Can we get an immigration speech to go with that race speech? We know you voted for CIR, but it seems things have changed since then, so tell us where you stand. We gotta know.