Obama: Trade Border Security for Amnesty (Audio)

The White House has called Jon Kyl a liar for saying that during a private meeting in the Oval Office, Obama told him that if the Democrats agreed to secure the southern border with Mexico then Republicans would have no incentive to support comprehensive immigration reform.

Transcript, from the Press Briefing by Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton, 6/21/10

Q Another topic, immigration, and forgive me if this has already been asked of somebody in the administration. I was yachting with Tony so I didn't see it over the weekend. (Laughter.) But Jon Kyl, on immigration at a town hall, said, “the problem” -- that he met with the President in the Oval Office and he then said, that the President told him “the problem is if we secure the border then you all won’t have any reason to support comprehensive immigration reform.” And that's on fire in the conservative blogosphere with people saying, ah-ha, the President is holding immigration reform hostage to this -- or holding securing the border hostage to immigration comprehensive reform. He said he doesn’t want to secure the border because then that dooms the chances of immigration reform. Did the President really say that to Kyl?

MR. BURTON: No, the President didn't say that. Senator Kyl knows that the President didn't say that. But what everybody knows because the President has made it perfectly clear is that what we need to do is everything that we can to bring about comprehensive immigration reform. And that includes not just securing the border, but doing a lot of other things.

Burton straight out calls Kyl a liar.

This audio, posted by Naked Emperor News, reveals Obama's stance on President Bush's immigration policy. In a September 2004 Chicago Public Radio interview, Obama advocates trading border security for amnesty.

Kyl's claims don't seem so far-fetched, do they?

Audio.

OBAMA: We have a system that's, that's unfair to a lot of people.

What I've suggested is that we have to concentrate on how do we secure our borders, how do we track individuals who are coming into this country who may be engaged in terrorist activity. Uh, how do we then provide potential pathways for citizenship to those illegal immigrants who have shown themselves to be good citizens and have shown themselves to be committed to this country?

And that's not, that's going to be a difficult conversation to have, and it's going to have to be bipartisan for it to be effective. The trade off is going to have to be improved security of our borders, at the same time allowing those who are already here to reach out for that American dream.

That's what Jon Kyl said Obama said.