Melissa Campagnoli waited nearly two decades for her parents to become U.S. citizens.

‘Both my parents were illegal immigrants until the spring of my senior year in high school,’ said Campagnoli, a Syracuse University senior political science major. ‘My mom is from Chile, and my dad is from Colombia. They applied for citizenship, but it took 18 years of my life for it to happen.’

The long wait for citizenship, a process known as naturalization, is one of the major issues surrounding immigration reform. Other contentious issues involve creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented residents and building a fence along the U.S. border with Mexico.

While the economy and the War in Iraq have taken precedent in the debates, the topic of immigration has been pushed aside. The candidates’ positions are actually very similar. While presidential candidates Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) have each supported reform of the current system, their approaches differ.

In early March, McCain said he no longer supported the ‘McCain-Kennedy Bill’ that he previously voted for in 2005, according to a Los Angeles Times article.

The bill, also known as the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, was set to establish a worker visa program for foreign citizens, as well as legalization and border control reform. In 2005, the bill was never voted on in the Senate and was reformed. The bill failed in May 2007.

Kristi Andersen, a political science professor at SU, said while Republicans are known for being somewhat anti-immigration, McCain does not fall into that stereotype.

‘McCain is far more less anti-immigrant than were the other Republican candidates, who competed during the primary debates to see who could be the most anti-immigrant,’ she said. ‘He has had to back away a bit from this position as he has moved closer to the conservative base.’

Danny Hayes, an assistant professor of political science at SU, agreed with Andersen.

‘Immigration played an integral part in January and February during the Republican primaries,’ Hayes said. ‘McCain promotes liberal immigration laws and was criticized for doing so.’

Hayes added that the reason immigration has been an absent topic is because the candidates have similar positions. Each wants to secure borders and implement a method of incorporation for immigrants into American society.

Pathway to Citizenship

The situation Campagnoli’s parents faced is not uncommon.

SU student Evelyn Liz’s parents, who emigrated from the Dominican Republic, had little difficulties immigrating. But with the recent shift in requirements, her grandmother is struggling to receive citizenship.

‘Fortunately, at the time my parents applied for residency, there weren’t strict laws, so it took them six months to receive their documents,’ said Liz, a junior social work major. ‘But now, the new immigration system is affecting my grandmother. She applied for U.S. residency three years ago and after three years, we are still unsure when she will receive her documents to migrate.’

One of the most visible and contentious problems associated with immigration is the influx of undocumented immigrants. The number of unauthorized immigrant population increased almost 40 percent from 8.5 million in 2000 to 11.8 million in 2007, according to the Office of Immigration in the Department of Homeland Security.

McCain’s plan aims to document the currently undocumented immigrants, as well as eliminate the long list of individuals who are waiting to reunite with their families in the United States as American citizens. Obama’s plan also aims to give undocumented immigrants the opportunity to gain citizenship.

The system affects international students as well.

In 2007, students who came to study at U.S. academic or vocational institutes made up 3.5 percent of total admissions, down from 5 percent in 2006, according to an article published by the Migration Policy Institute.

Gokhan Aydin, president of Syracuse University’s Intercultural Dialog Group, said that the citizenship process stigmatizes students who are trying to come to the United States to study.

‘What really bothers me the most is the assumption that whoever comes to the United States is aiming to stay here forever,’ said Aydin, a graduate student in the L.C. Smith School of Engineering and Computer Science. ‘I know a lot of people coming here for college or business and stay upon request, so treating them like they are trying every possible way to stay here is just not fair.’

U.S.-Mexico Border

McCain and Obama are both for immigration, but have specific requirements and tactics to accomplish their respective goals. Each has a track record parallel to their views.

Obama supported Bush’s immigration reform legislation, which would grant more funding to those programs that would increase the amount of security at the U.S. entry points for immigrants, according to CNN. He also voted for the 700-mile fence, running parallel to the U.S.-Mexico border.

McCain voted identically to Obama in these cases.

With their similarities, Anderson said, ‘I think they might well take fairly similar approaches to immigration.’

The idea of creating a fence or wall along the southern U.S. border stems from the large influx of immigrants, from Mexico as well as many Central and South American countries, crossing the border illegally.

According to the Office of Immigration, a section in the Department of Homeland Security, more than half of the nearly 12 million unauthorized immigrants claimed Mexico as their birthplace.

SU student Campagnoli said she understands the idea for the U.S.-Mexico border, but believes it will be unsuccessful.

‘I think completely closing the U.S-Mexico border is impossible because there’s interdependence between the two countries’ economies,’ she said.

Congress passed a $34.8 billion homeland security spending bill in 2006, with an estimated $21.3 billion going to border security. About $1.2 billion was designated for the U.S.-Mexico border fence and surveillance technology.

The plan was to complete the 670 miles of border fence between the two countries by the end of this year. But in early September, two congressional inspectors expressed doubt it would be completed on time, according to The Arizona Republic.

‘My impression is that the border fence is intended to be symbolic,’ Hayes said. ‘Law enforcement, instead of a physical barrier, would be more effective per dollar. The fence is just a physical barrier that plugs holes, making it more difficult at a particular place. If an immigrant is motivated enough, they will get in, with or without the border fence.’

Obama plans to create secure borders, remove incentives for entering the United States illegally and to work with Mexico, according to his Web site. He hopes to accomplish these goals by supporting additional border personnel and resources. He also plans to hold the employers who hire undocumented workers accountable.

McCain’s top priority is to secure U.S. borders, according to his Web site. His plans are to secure the borders by using physical and virtual barriers. Proposals by McCain allow funding to be provided to offices in border states, as well as for hiring staff and training facilities near the border.

But this could be easier said than done, warned Andersen.

‘It’s extremely expensive as currently being built and also tremendously controversial,’ Andersen said. ‘Most mayors and other officials of border cities are against it now that they see it divides cities, reduces commerce and hurts the economy.’

When construction began in 2007, a mile of the border fence cost $1 million. It now costs more than seven times that figure, according to The Arizona Republic.

Once the borders are secure, McCain plans to begin a program which would focus on four areas the Arizona senator believes should be seriously modified, according to his Web site.

McCain plans on implementing programs that will allow employers to use an electronic employment verification system, which would screen all employees before hiring. He also wants to focus on meeting the current labor needs in the United States and starting workers’ programs that will include both low- and high-skilled jobs.

Campagnoli said she supports McCain for these reasons.

‘I support McCain because he plans to implement temporary worker programs that will reflect the labor needs of the United States, while seeking to protect employment opportunities for U.S. workers,’ Campagnoli said.

Even though Campagnoli’s family has passed through the immigration system, she said she understands why people to immigrate to the United States.

‘It made me realize that people wouldn’t leave behind relatives, family, their roots and completely leave their country without there being a ‘real’ reason, without being desperate for work, for a job,’ she said. ‘If you enter the country illegally, you can’t go back to your country because you’ll never be able to come back.’

rseldrid@syr.edu

Published on October 7, 2008 at 12:00 pm