Where Does My Candidate Stand on Immigration?

Here's a peek at where the current presidential candidates stand on immigration.

The Democrats

—Hillary Clinton: Supports border fence and voted for 2006 bill that would have provided conditional path to citizenship.

—John Edwards: Supports path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who speak English and meet other conditions.

—Barack Obama: Voted for the fence. Voted for the 2006 bill.

And the Republicans

—Rudy Giuliani: Urges use of tamperproof ID cards for immigrants. Says most of U.S.-Mexico border should be policed with high-tech monitoring, supplemented by a fence in some parts. Open to conferring legal status if proficiency in English and payment of back taxes and penalties are among conditions, and if applicants in the legal system are not disadvantaged.

—John McCain: Supports border fence. Sponsored 2006 bill that would have allowed illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S., work and apply to become legal residents after learning English, paying fines and back taxes and clearing a background check. Now says he would secure the border first.

—Mitt Romney: Supports building a border fence with Mexico and stationing National Guard troops there. Opposed McCain’s immigration bill, although he called it reasonable in 2005. Opposes policy allowing legal immigrants to host extended families in U.S. Calls for tamper proof ID card so only legal immigrants can work.

—Mike Huckabee: As governor, opposed banning state services for illegal immigrants. But has favored allowing illegal immigrants who are in the country to apply for legal status if they pay penalties, get guest worker permits, register with authorities and aren’t allowed to jump in line ahead of other applicants.

New Jersey Illegal Immigration Deported

Our federal government seems to be deceiving unsuspecting illegal immigrants by granting entry to their homes, a large number of lawyers and civil rights groups state.

They explain that in an huge effort to deport illegal aliens, federal immigration agents bypass necessary search warrants, but use ruses and intimidation to gain permission to enter and search private homes. In a growing number of lawsuits, immigrants and those against of the raids say that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is going against the U.S. Constitution.

"They're armed agents showing up at 5 a.m., banging on doors, kicking them in, going into people's bedrooms, ripping covers off people in their beds, asking them questions when they're half asleep, and seizing them and taking them away," said Patrick Gennardo of Englewood, New Jersey, and one of several area lawyers who have filed suits of late asking that such ICE tactics be shown unconstitutional. "These aren't fine lines between consent and storming in; these are scary, major violations of the Constitution."

But Scott Weber, the field director for ICE's office in Newark, New Jersey, has a different opinion.

"We all operate under the same Constitution," Weber said. "My officers are not involved in sweeps or random searches. We're looking for specific individuals that we have specific information for and active and valid warrants for their removal [from the U.S.] Our officers have extensive training in which they're taught constitutional law, statutory law and immigration law."

Immigration arrests made in NJ as part of the National Fugitive Operations Program, established in March 2003.

2007: 2,079

2006: 1,094

2005: 657

2004: 557

2003: 76

Note: These statistics are for fiscal years, which run from October to September. But because the program was begun in March 2003, the figure for that year does not cover a full fiscal year.

In a scene commonly told in interviews and court papers, immigrants claimed they have awakened to loud, continuous knocks on their doors, the shout of "Police," flashlights right in their faces and guns hanging from holsters.

At those times, immigrants allowed them in, expecting the local police and wondered if were news about a tragedy, or some criminal afoot in the neighborhood.

Surprisingly, they found themselves faced by immigration agents, many times asking about someone whose picture or name they did not know. Then, the agents interrogated them, they claim, handcuffing, holding them and getting them ready for deportation those who could not lawfully show U.S. residence.

"I don't see it as storming a home," Weber said. "We see it as trying to locate someone."

After 9/11, the U.S. government beamed on finding immigrants with outstanding deportation orders. ICE teams in New Jersey did arrest more than 2,000 like this in 2007, compared with 1,094 in 2006. And nationally, the arrests also doubled -- 30,408 in 2007, up from 15,462 in 2006. Some 500,000 illegal immigrants are estimated to be residing in New Jersey; with at least 12 million in the United States.