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As McCain Puts on Mantle, Colleagues Push Immigration

March 05, 2008 1:26 PM

ABC's Z. Byron Wolf reports: As Sen. John McCain was making the Republican rounds in Washington on his first day as the official presumptive presidential nominee, appearing unified with his party at the White House and the Republican National Committee, some of his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill were introducing an election year legislative initiative to put Democrats on the record about illegal immigration before the general election.

The problem is, the agenda, which seeks to force votes on 15 or more border security and anti-illegal immigration measures, also highlights McCain's past differences with many in his own party. McCain in past years was a champion of comprehensive immigration reform, though he has since come around to a piecemeal approach, trying to secure borders before dealing with the millions of illegal immigrants already in the country.

"I intend to vigorously support Sen. McCain. He's our nominee and I have great admiration for him," said Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama on Capitol Hill today.

"We do not agree on the comprehensive plan last year and he has said he got the message," Sessions said. "He realizes security first is the right way to go," he added. "To have security first, border security first, we've got to do something. We can't just wait. And I'm of the belief that time needs to be set aside this year to do just that."

"There is nothing here that represents an attempt to embarrass Sen. McCain," Sessions stated.

Conservative senators led by Sessions, successfully scuttled attempts in two consecutive years by Democrats and moderate Republicans to enact comprehensive immigration reform that would have toughened border security and enforcement along with providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently in the country.

While Sessions will vigorously support McCain's election, that's not to imply he will always agree with a McCain White House on immigration.

It was just as McCain was meeting with President Bush to receive his endorsement that Sessions was criticizing the Bush administration's role in pushing a comprehensive immigration plan in the past two years.

"The administration can do better and should do better," he said.

Now they will try to attach an array of proposals to budget and appropriations bills that would push for creation of a 700 mile border fence, create penalties for states that issue driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants, put sanctions on countries that won't take back immigrants arrested in the United States, bar banks from giving illegal immigrants credit cards and more.

Reporters asked Sessions to respond to critics who say the Republican-backed measures - unlikely to pass the Democratically controlled Senate in the piecemeal fashion they are being proposed - are being offered only to score political points.

"What's wrong with asking people to declare their views in an election year," he countered. "When did that become improper?"

March 5, 2008 in Washington | Permalink | User Comments (3)

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Posted by: smartprimate | Mar 5, 2008 2:33:09 PM

Posted by: cba | Mar 6, 2008 4:57:36 PM

Posted by: Bob Johnson | Mar 7, 2008 12:50:30 AM

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