MCCAIN: ACTION ON IMMIGRATION A FEDERAL RESPONSIBILITY
By ERIC GRAF
Cronkite News Service
PHOENIX (Wednesday, Nov. 14) _ Presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Wednesday that while he respects the state’s new employer sanctions law targeting illegal immigration it only exists because the U.S. Congress failed to pass immigration reform.
“It’s a result of the failure of Congress and the president,” McCain said at a news conference at his office here. “It’s a federal responsibility.”
As of Jan. 1, all Arizona employers will have to use a federal program that matches new employees with Social Security numbers to determine their eligibility to work in the United States. Business and immigrant rights groups are challenging the law in federal court.
Local governments have been forced to create their own laws on illegal immigration because Congress couldn’t, McCain said. He said that he remains hopeful that the federal government will find a solution to the “broken border.”
“We have to secure the borders first,” he said.
The Senate defeated the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 in June amidst criticism that it provided amnesty to illegal immigrants. The bill did not receive an up-or-down vote, as the Senate quashed it before it got that far.
McCain also responded to criticism about how he handled a questioner in South Carolina who referred to Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., with an expletive that is derogatory toward women.
The senator said he tried to make light of the comment and move on, which drew the ire of some political commentators.
“I’ve always treated Senator Clinton with respect,” he said, noting that he did not immediately know who the woman was talking about when she used the word.
McCain addressed a recent Clinton mishap as well, when her staff planted a question at a speech in Iowa.
He called the incident “regrettable” and said his campaign has “never done such a thing.”
McCain was in Arizona during his campaign because his wife, Cindy, is at the Mayo Clinic after twisting her knee while shopping. McCain said she is in good spirits and doctors expect her to return home in three days.