[Editor's note: The terms "legalization" or "regularization" refer to the process whereby qualified illegal aliens gain the right to reside permanently in the United States. In most cases, after a five year period commonly known as a "path to citizenship," legalized permanent resident aliens may apply to become naturalized US citizens. In the immigration debate the terms legalization, regularization, path to citizenship, and amnesty are often mistakenly or purposely interchanged. The term amnesty is commonly used by opponents of legalization and often avoided by its proponents. For different definitions of "amnesty," visit the following question on our website: What is an immigration amnesty?]

"It would be impossible to identify and round up all 10 to 11 million of the current undocumented, and if we did, it would ground our nation's economy to a halt. These millions of people are working. Aliens will not come forward to simply 'report and deport.' We have a national interest in identifying these individuals, incentivizing them to come forward out of the shadows, go through security background checks, pay back taxes, pay penalties for breaking the law, learn to speak English, and regularize their status. Anyone who thinks this goal can be achieved without providing an eventual path to a permanent legal status is not serious about solving this problem."

May 13, 2005 - John McCain 

"We need to get real about the people who are now living in this country illegally – in many cases raising families and paying taxes. The idea of deporting these 11 or 12 million people – about as many as live in the entire state of Pennsylvania – is pure fantasy. Even if we wanted to, it would be physically impossible to carry out. If we attempted it – and it would be perhaps the largest round-up and deportation in world history – the social and economic consequences would be devastating. Let me ask you: Would we really want to spend billions of dollars on a round-up and deportation program that would split families in two – only to have these very same people and millions more, illegally enter our country again? Of course not. America is better than that – and smarter than that. There is only one practical solution, and it is a solution that respects the history of our nation: Offer those already here the opportunity to earn permanent status and keep their families together."

July 5, 2006 - Michael R. Bloomberg, MBA 

"...the White House supported an extension of the Section 245(i) program... The program applied only to immigrants who entered the country legally on a visa that had expired or was about to. Instead of forcing these foreigners to return home to reapply -- a process that can take up to 10 years -- they were permitted to continue working here during the reapplication process. Under the President's proposal, those who allowed their visas to expire would have to pay a $1,000 penalty before receiving the permanent residency status that they otherwise were eligible for... The proposal was both humane and economically sensible. Many of those eligible to benefit are married to American citizens and have children here. Deporting them for the duration of the application process would break up families. It also would disrupt businesses that depend on foreign labor for jobs that Americans don't want... The U.S. needs policies in place that recognize the economic realities that come with a long, porous border between an immensely rich country and a poor one. We need programs that will legalize the status of foreigners who are here already and contributing to our economy. We need more legal channels, such as temporary work programs, to handle future arrivals. And we need to speed up family reunifications."

Aug. 4, 2002 - Wall Street Journal 

"...We've got to make sure that we resolve the status of illegal immigrants who are already in this country. It's an interesting debate taking place in America -- I'll give you my position. One, I do not think we ought to grant amnesty to people who are here illegally. And the reason I don't is I think that will encourage a whole other bunch of people to come. But I know you cannot deport 10 million people who have been here working. It's unrealistic. It may sound good in certain circles and political circles. It's not going to work. The best plan is to say to somebody who has been here illegally, if you've been paying your taxes, and you've got a good criminal record, that you can pay a fine for being here illegally, and you can learn English, like the rest of us have done, and you can get in a citizenship line to apply for citizenship. You don't get to get in the front, you get to get in the back of the line. But this idea of deporting people is just not -- it doesn't make any sense to me, and it doesn't make any sense to a lot of people who understand this issue. So here's a reasonable way to treat people with respect and accomplish what we want to accomplish, which is to be a country of law and a country of decency and respect... in order to make a comprehensive immigration plan work, we've got to help folks assimilate into our society... I expect the United States Congress to do its duty and pass comprehensive immigration reform."

Aug. 3, 2006 - George W. Bush, MBA 

"Hard working, tax-paying immigrants who are living in this country should be given every opportunity to come forward, pay a fine, and earn legal status and a path toward citizenship. Successful reform mandates the most expansive earned legalization provisions that would make eligible the largest number of undocumented persons... The benefits of an expansive legalization program are clear: employer compliance with withholding requirements is best achieved by the highest level of participation in the legalization programs; people will come out of the shadows and be able to work at higher paying and more secure jobs; and families will be reunited."

Jan. 17, 2007 - Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 

"Senators McCain and Kennedy introduced a comprehensive immigration reform bill that will provide a path to legal status to the 12 million people who have been working hard, paying their taxes and contributing to their communities... We are strongly supportive of the concept of legalization, recognizing that raising the floor for undocumented workers and bringing them out of the shadows will improve working conditions for all workers. We are also in agreement that if this bill moves forward, we will seek expand its labor protections considerably to ensure a positive outcome for all workers."

June 1, 2005 - John J. Sweeney 

"Regularization is a worthwhile project, but we should approach it as an opportunity to strengthen our nation and deal with what has become a social and human rights issue of the first order, not just as an amnesty that so many Americans find distasteful. We should thus start from a different point: instead of asking people to prove when they arrived or were hired, matters easily subject to fraud and so simple that they risk appearing to reward illegal immigration, we should ask unauthorized immigrants to earn their new legal status. Unauthorized immigrants could begin the regularization process by registering with immigration officials and then be given, say, three years in which to qualify. The criteria for regularization should be forward-looking, easily proven, and consistent with what we as a society consider important. Steady employment, paying taxes, speaking English capably and having a clean criminal record are a good start. And the process should a pay for itself by collecting a substantial but reasonable fee from the immigrants who are regularized."

Feb. 12, 2004 - Demetrios Papademetriou, PhD 

"Rather than maintaining the existing chaotic, poorly functioning, unfair system, it is critical to create a reformed immigration system that is safe, orderly, and fair. Perhaps most importantly, the U.S. immigration system should be one that encourages and allows for immigration to be legal. Immigrants currently living undocumented in the U.S. should be allowed to earn their legal status; future flows of immigrants should have channels to migrate legally; and those families who are playing by the rules and attempting to enter lawfully must be allowed to do so in a reasonable time frame."

Dec. 2004 - Michele Waslin, PhD 

"In 2005, the Catholic Church in the United States stepped up its efforts in support of comprehensive immigration reform. The church teaches that, first and foremost, the undocumented are human beings... Under the leadership of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), the church has begun to mobilize in support of a program that could ultimately assist more than 10 million persons to gain legal status in the United States. If comprehensive legislation passes, CLINIC will play a central role in implementing it, both within the Catholic Church and in the larger network of charitable immigration service providers. We are confident that CLINIC is qualified and prepared to meet this historic challenge."

2005 - Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) 

"Creating a modern immigration system is an undoubtedly complex task. It requires achieving the right balance between enforcement, at our borders and at worksites, and establishing mechanisms for bringing the estimated 12 million undocumented in our midst out of the shadows to be full, contributing members of our society, and creating the means for regulating the flow of immigrants into the country. Simplistic recipes for dealing with the challenges are not real solutions even if they appear to resonate in the current environment of fear and insecurity."

Nov. 30, 2007 - Center for American Progress 

"...Well, immigration --both the robust annual flow required to keep our economy growing and the 12 million illegal immigrants already in the country-- is a fact of life in the U.S. today. And the only practical way to deal with these stubborn realities is with a comprehensive solution, one that includes border security, interior enforcement, a guest worker program and [legal] status for the illegal immigrants already here."

July 10, 2006 - Steve Forbes 

"...Our broken immigration system is like an economic superhighway where the speed limit is set at 30 mph. We need to reset the speed limit by creating legal channels for new workers, eliminate family immigration backlogs which undermine our legal immigration system, and create a path to citizenship for those who are here, working and paying taxes... NCLR supports comprehensive immigration reform that includes the following principles: 1) enforcement that is conducted sensibly, effectively, in a manner consistent with our nation's laws and values; 2) a path to citizenship for the current undocumented population; 3) the creation of new legal channels for future immigrant workers; 4) a reduction of family immigration backlogs; and 5) the protection of civil rights and civil liberties."

Nov. 21, 2007 - National Council of La Raza 

"Reform of our nation’s borders and immigration system must include three components: border security, enforcement of employer sanctions, and a guestworker program with an avenue to earned legalization. Without each of these necessary provisions, reform efforts will fall short of the true changes our nation has long needed."

Nov. 28, 2005 - Silvestre Reyes 

"I urge Congress to allow families to remain together in the United States while immigration applications are pending, rather than force them to return to their home country, and to permit qualified long-term migrants who have lived in the United States since 1986 to become lawful permanent residents and retain their substantial tie to this country."

Oct. 26, 2000 - Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. 

"It is not in our interest to have 12 million people living here illegally. We must create a system in which those who are contributing to our country, speaking English, and helping build a better America are given a pathway toward earned citizenship, while those who are not contributing to our country can be identified and deported. This legislation [The Immigrant Accountability Act of 2007] creates that kind of responsible system. This is an issue of national security as well as an economic issue. We cannot afford to continue to ignore it."

Apr. 26, 2007 - Chuck Hagel 

"Border security must fit within a process of comprehensive reform (i.e. interior and employer enforcement, legalization, and guest workers); enforcement only is insufficient... The House should reshape its legislation to provide true immigration reform along the lines of bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform recommended by the Senate. It addresses border security and enforcement, a smart and efficient immigration system, earned legalization for undocumented immigrants who qualify and a guest-worker program to meet the economic needs of the U.S... A path to legal status for the current undocumented population is integral to enhance national security."

Aug. 29, 2006 - Ricardo Parra 

"If Reid-Kennedy [S 2611] or Pence-Hutchison 'Compromise Plan' becomes law, 11-12 million illegal immigrants will be eligible for U.S. citizenship, while, at the same time, retaining citizenship to their birth nations greatly exacerbating the dual allegiance problem and encouraging the diminution of loyalty to the United States. Thus, if Reid-Kennedy or Pence-Hutchison passes, we will not simply repeat the mistakes of 1986 [Simpson-Mazzoli Act], but make the situation worse. Both Reid-Kennedy and Pence-Hutchison are amnesties. Let's not make the amnesty mistake again with either Reid-Kennedy or Pence-Hutchison."

Sep. 1, 2006 - John Fonte, PhD 

"[We] must insist that they [Members of Congress] support a zero-net-immigration moratorium. Only pushing a moratorium calls the whole enterprise of mass immigration into question, defeats the Open Borders crowd's argument that '...we can 'solve' the illegal immigration problem by legalizing them all…' and thus puts maximum downward pressure on immigration numbers."

Jan. 2007 - Carrying Capacity Network (CCN) 

"First, the House knows that our argument to secure the borders first and grant amnesty never is the only intelligent position. S. 2611 is off the wall... Second, the Congressmen would like to be re-elected. They won’t be if they cave in on S. 2611. Third, and this is no small thing, S. 2611 is not administratively manageable. Has anyone wondered how many hundreds of millions of pieces of paper would have to be processed to legalize tens of millions of aliens? Forget it."

June 2, 2006