SAN DIEGO, California (AFP) — Republican presidential candidate John McCain denied Monday he had flip-flopped on immigration reform to appease conservatives in an address to an influential Hispanic grouping.
Speaking to the National Council of La Raza, McCain insisted he remained committed to comprehensive immigration reform, rejecting suggestions by Democratic rival Barack Obama that he had backed away from his plans.
"I do ask for your trust that when I say, I remain committed to fair, practical and comprehensive immigration reform, I mean it," McCain told his audience at the San Diego Convention Center.
Obama told La Raza on Sunday that McCain had changed his position on immigration to win votes from conservatives during the Republican primaries. Obama had made similar claims before other Latino groups recently.
However, McCain hit back at Obama's jibes in his address on Monday.
"(Obama) suggested in his speeches there and here, that I turned my back on comprehensive reform out of political necessity," McCain said.
"I feel I must, as they say, correct the record. At a moment of great difficulty in my campaign, when my critics said it would be political suicide for me to do so, I helped author with Senator (Edward) Kennedy comprehensive immigration reform, and fought for its passage."
McCain and Kennedy's immigration reform bill included provisions for a path to citizenship for illegal workers, which was criticized by conservatives.
During a debate in the primary campaign McCain said he would no longer vote for the bill, claiming that voters saw securing borders as the greater priority -- an apparent policy shift that was pounced on by Obama's camp.
Both Obama and McCain have been aggressively courting Hispanic voters, who are likely to make up one of the key voting blocs in the November presidential election.
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