McCain: Border security before immigration reform

Washington, Apr 29, 2008 (EFE via COMTEX) -- -- By Teresa Bouza. ).- Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain said in an interview with Efe that his priority on immigration if he is elected will be border security.

At the same time, the senator from Arizona repeated his commitment to a comprehensive immigration reform, whose failure last year in Congress he attributes to voters' being more concerned about security.

"First we have to secure the borders," he said.

He pointed out that once that problem is solved, "we can move towards temporary-worker programs and face up to the issue of the 12 million people who are here illegally," McCain said.

Referring to the undocumented immigrants, he said that their path towards legalization should be based on the principle that "people who came here legally should have priority over those who arrived as illegals."

He said that in any case it is necessary to deal with the situation in a "humane and compassionate" way.

Turning to foreign policy, McCain said that as president, he would only restore diplomatic relations with Cuba and end the decades-long U.S. economic embargo against the island if the Havana government held free elections.

The senator dismissed the possibility of establishing a dialogue with the Raul Castro government in response to a process of economic reforms similar to those of China and Vietnam, two communist regimes with which the United States has full diplomatic and trade relations.

"I will initiate a dialogue after there are free elections, the political prisoners are freed and humanitarian non-governmental organizations exist and can operate," McCain said, adding that such reforms were essential to ending "the oppression of the Cuban people."

Speaking of other topics, the 71-year-old senator, who would be the oldest president to enter the White House, predicted that the "decisive" fact in November will be the economy, followed by national security.

McCain said he was confident that his record, vision and plan of action will win him the Hispanic vote and was pleased that an overwhelming majority of Arizona Latinos backed him during his last campaign for reelection to the Senate. EFE

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