Illegal Immigration

Phil Angelides believes that the federal immigration and border security system needs a comprehensive, top-to-bottom reform that protects our borders, strengthens our economy and honors our values.

• Schwarzenegger and Bush – Border Security Failures: Our immigration and border security system is broken and lacks accountability. Governor Schwarzenegger has failed to hold the Bush administration accountable for this fundamental federal duty. Schwarzenegger has failed to make Washington compensate California taxpayers for the financial burdens we bear because of Bush’s broken border security system. The Bush Administration should provide full funding for the strong border security provisions originally enacted in the 2004 Intelligence Reform Act.
• Legal Status: Phil Angelides believes that we ought to offer undocumented immigrants who entered this country under the current, broken system a chance to earn legal status.  Phil believes that people should be offered a path toward legal status and eventual citizenship only if they are willing to be accountable and pay a fine, submit to a background check, pay any back taxes owed, learn English and American civics, and wait at the end of the line behind the current backlog of people attempting to get visas.