McCain defends immigration plan to angry Valley residents

Sen. John McCain announced his plan for immigration overhaul to angry Arizonans at two town hall meetings Tuesday.

Many questioning the tactics used to control illegal immigration in the U.S.

“If you look at the Constitution of the United States, we are not allowed to have an armed militia on our border,” said McCain. “Why not?” asked a town hall attendee. “Because that’s what our founding fathers wanted. Your problem is with them, not me,” said McCain.

McCain made it clear he’s not phased by the strong opinions, saying he’s had over thirty years of experience in town hall meetings. Overall, he was impressed by how informed and passionate people were regarding immigration reform, but had a word of advice for future town hall attendees.

“People are involved, engaged, and lots of feisty questions and a lot of back and forth and that's what town hall meetings are supposed to be about, as long as they're respectful,” said McCain.

Senator McCain went on talk radio to answer more questions from concerned Arizonans late Tuesday, making it clear that a number of requirements should be added to the proposal.

“If they want to become citizens they've got to pay a fine, learn English, get background checks, and get in line behind everyone else who has waited legally for a chance to be a citizen," he said.

McCain would also like to see a penalty for employers who hire illegal immigrants along with tamper proof ID’s mandatory for work in the United States.

McCain proposed the ID be similar to a U.S. military ID with a micro-chip that holds all the person’s information.

McCain will be speaking again at a town hall meeting on Wednesday, at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) at 10 a.m.