Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain said Tuesday that he thinks the border will be secure in “a very short period of time.

McCain, who was criticized within his own party for championing comprehensive immigration reform, said that once the borders are secure the issue can be revisited.

After the measure that he tried to push through Congress failed twice, the Arizona senator said it was clear that the American people wanted secure borders first. Once that goal has been accomplished, McCain told CBS’s “Early Show,” he believes that “the overwhelming majority of [Americans] will support a humane and compassionate approach to temporary worker program and to comprehensive immigration reform.”

McCain argued that the border would be secure within two years.