Joe Biden on Immigration
Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden's position on key immigration topics.
Border Security
During the 2007 Democratic debate at Saint Anselm College, Biden stated that he is in favor of the border fence more for the purpose of halting drug trafficking than stopping illegal crossings.
Immigration Reform
Biden voted in favor of the Comprehensive Immigration Bill. He believes that "our immigration system is broken and we have an obligation to work on it until we fix it.” He believes in tougher employer sanctions and a guest-worker program. He does not support making English the official language of the United States.
Undocumented Workers
Biden voted yes on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security and allowing more foreign workers into the U.S. for farm work.
Path to Citizenship
Like Obama, Biden also expressed the need for a "practical" solution for the undocumented workers currently in the U.S. He supports earned citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country.
All in all, Biden sounds like a champion for immigration reform and a good fit for Obama, although he will need to do a better job of watching what he says. He has described Obama as “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.” In New Hampshire he thought it was important to share that “in Delaware, the largest growth in population is from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent." I don't believe that Biden is a racist - just a big mouth. If he wants to keep minorities on his side, he'll need to think before he speaks.
