Obama’s 2005 remarks reflect strong stance on controlling immigration

CLAIM: Barack Obama said, “We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked, and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently, and lawfully to become immigrants in this country.” 

AP’S ASSESSMENT: True. The quote comes from a 2005 news conference where Obama, then a U.S. Senator from Illinois, spoke about immigration and those who employ immigrants. 

THE FACTS: C-SPAN covered Obama’s December 15, 2005, remarks about stronger borders. The quote, circulating on social media along with a picture of the former president, is part of that speech. A clip from the C-SPAN video was shared earlier this week by President Donald Trump with the caption, “I agree with President Obama 100%!” 

Early in the clip, Obama says that Americans are generous and welcoming, but he also notes that those who employ people living in the country illegally “disrespect the rule of the law.” 

A longer version of the clip shows Obama saying, “securing the borders alone does not solve immigration management.” 

Here’s more information on Facebook’s fact-checking program: https://www.facebook.com/help/1952307158131536 

___ 

The Associated Press reviewed this story after it was surfaced to third-party fact checkers as part of an initiative with Facebook to assess the accuracy of news content.