Second Obama-Romney 2012 Presidential debate : on Immigration

Barack Obama: Kids who think of themselves as Americans--they should stay

OBAMA: If we're going to go after folks who are here illegally, we should do it smartly and go after folks who are criminals, not after students, not after folks who are here just because they're trying to figure out how to feed their families. And that's what we've done. For young people who come here, brought here often times by their parents--had gone to school here, pledged allegiance to the flag; think of this as their country; understand themselves as Americans in every way except having papers--we should make sure that we give them a pathway to citizenship. And that's what I've done administratively. Now, Governor Romney just said, you know he wants to help those young people too, but during the Republican primary, he said, "I will veto the DREAM Act".

Jill Stein: Undocumented immigration massively spiked after NAFTA

STEIN: First, let's be clear that our jobs took a nosedive because Wall Street crashed the economy, because of Wall Street waste, fraud and abuse. And our jobs went overseas due to NAFTA and other free trade agreements, which Barack Obama has expanded. So, in fact, you know, it's not immigrants that have caused problems in our economy; it's, rather, this predatory economic policies fostered by an economic and political elite. In fact, immigrants did not come to this country lured by jobs. The spike in undocumented immigrants occurred, massively spiked, after NAFTA basically put millions of small farmers out of business, and people were forced to migrate here as economic refugees in order to feed their families.

Jill Stein: Extend DREAM Act beyond age 30

STEIN: We actually want to provide a welcoming and legal path to the immigrants who have always been the backbone of our economy, the backbone of the diversity that makes this country great. And while the president took a very small step forward, this is a very inadequate step to simply provide two-year worker permits to the DREAMers, and basically they run into a brick wall at age 30. We need to actually provide a welcoming path and legal path to citizenship for the undocumented Americans, who are critical parts of our economy and of our communities.

Mitt Romney: Obama said he'd reform our immigration system but he didn't

Mitt Romney: Support the E-Verify portion of the Arizona immigration law

Rocky Anderson: Government and corporations have colluded on immigrant jobs

ANDERSON: We need to recognize that for decades our government and the corporate sector have acted in collusion, giving a wink and a nod to millions of people to come into this country without legal documentation so that they could fill jobs in certain sectors of our economy. And we owe it to everyone involved never to make these people live in the shadows any longer. We need a compassionate approach, a reasonable approach, not one that calls for the deportation of 12 to 14 million people or to criminalize what they're doing. Those who have lived here legally, otherwise, other than under the immigration laws, need to be given a pathway toward permanent residency and, ultimately, citizenship.

Virgil Goode: Moratorium on green cards until unemployment is under 5%

GOODE: To get jobs in America, neither President Obama nor Governor Romney are focusing on some of the key issues. First issue, we need to eliminate illegal immigration, keep illegals from coming into this country, taking jobs from American citizens. Secondly, we need to have a near-complete moratorium on green card admissions to this country until unemployment is under 5%. We give thousands of green cards per year to working-age persons that come into the US, take good-paying jobs from students that had just graduated. We need to preserve jobs in America for American citizens first. it is one thing we could do right away to have jobs in America for American citizens first.

Virgil Goode: Illegals' presence here steals jobs from American citizens

ROMNEY: We should give green cards to people who graduate with skills that we need. [But] I will not grant amnesty to those who've come here illegally.

OBAMA: Young people who come here, brought here oftentimes by their parents, have gone to school here, understand themselves as Americans in every way except having papers, then we should make sure that we give them a pathway to citizenship.

GOODE: We need to totally end illegal immigration, rewarding persons who come here with jobs, which the questioner asked about is the wrong way to do it. If you are in this country illegally, stealing a job from an American citizen, I'm going to do all I can to put an American citizen in that job and not somebody that has crossed our border, come into the country and violated our laws. Jobs in America should be for U.S. citizens first.

Virgil Goode: Use entire AZ law as model for US, not just E-Verify

GOODE: Romney clarified what he said about the Arizona legislation. He was only saying that E-Verify was a model for the country. I say the whole bill in Arizona was a model for the country, and if I'm elected president, my attorney general is going to be supporting Arizona. We will also be supporting Alabama. We're going to stop illegal immigration and stop the coddling and catering that is exhibited by the Obama administration and that will be followed through by Romney.

Virgil Goode: No green cards for foreigners diplomas; US citizens first

GOODE: I am the only candidate that will not be in favor of attaching a green card to a foreign student's graduation diploma. We need to have U.S. citizens first in our American institutions. I've got stacks of recommendations and requests for students in high school level to go to colleges that had been rejected and replaced with foreign students. We need to preserve U.S. college admissions for U.S. citizens first, instead of trying to bring in everyone from every country around the world. It's time for a president to put citizenship first, and I will.