On Amnesty

"I am in favor of 'earned legalization' for those people who are here now, who have obeyed the law, are working, have paid their taxes, stayed out of trouble. Under the circumstances, we should be converting people to citizenship."

— "A Closer Look at the Candidates: John Kerry," NPR, October 28, 2003.

On Reduction in Legal Immigration Levels:
Voted against an amendment (S.AMDT.3739) to S. 1664 in 1996 to place a cap on legal immigration. (FAIR website)

On Limiting Benefits for Illegal Aliens (PAN):
"That's why I strongly oppose the 'Protect Arizona Now' ballot initiative… It will not reduce the need of restaurants, construction firms, farms and others for more immigrant labor than our immigration laws create room for."
— John Kerry, "Immigrant Scapegoating Doesn't Solve Problem," Tucson Citizen, August 25, 2003.
Current cosponsor of S.1645, AgJOBS.
Current cosponsor of S. 1545, the DREAM Act.

Kerry’s Press Release on Plans for Immigration if Elected

Source: http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/ (John Kerry for President)

Miscellaneous Quotes Concerning Kerry On Immigration

“Nothing that Bush was meeting with Mexican President Vincente Fox some 200 miles away in Crawford, Kerry called their discussions ‘about three years too late’ and said Bush’s proposed guest worker immigration program is a Band-Aid and a ‘phony solution.’

‘America needs immigration,’ Kerry said. ‘America will see its future written by those who come to our country and grow to love it and become as American as anyone else. With the exception of Native Americans, there isn’t anyone in this country who doesn’t have an immigration background, and we need to remember that.’

At the same time, Kerry said, policy-makers need to uphold the laws that regulate immigration, including guarding the borders and cracking down on employers who exploit illegal workers.”

The Houston Chronicle. March 7, 2004

“They should be very upset because [Bush] has broken every promise he made to the Hispanic Community. He promised No Child Left Behind education funding, he didn’t deliver on it. He said he would deal with immigration reform, never even tried. The Hispanic community tends to be entry level, not all, but a majority. They are struggling with health care issues and education issues and I think the president has walked away from those.”

The Associated Press. June 22, 2004