Senator Barack Obama (left) is greeted by demonstrators as a crowd gathers for an immigration-rights rally May 1, 2006, on Chicago’s west side. The demonstration is part of a nationwide action meant to show both support for immigration reform and opposition to legislation that would criminalize the actions of an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.
©Nam Y. Huh/AP Images

Barack Obama
Barack Obama calls for tougher penalties against employers who fail to check the legal status of their employees or knowingly hire undocumented immigrants. He would create a system to make sure that individuals are legally eligible to work in the U.S.

Obama supports a legal path to citizenship for some of the 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States today. That path would require immigrants to learn English, pass a citizenship course, and pay fines. They must also “go to the back of the line” for citizenship, he says.

Obama voted in favor of the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which authorized the construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. Roughly 330 miles of the fence have already been built in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.