GOP Candidate Speaks Against Illegals

[swatchick]

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breakin ... 82063.html

Posted on Tue, Oct. 23, 2007
GOP candidate speaks in Medley against immigration
BY BETH REINHARD AND ALFONSO CHARDY
During a campaign swing Tuesday through South Florida, Republican presidential contender Fred Thompson pushed for a crackdown on illegal immigrants and accused rival Rudy Giuliani of sheltering them as mayor of New York City.
Thompson's first major policy proposal since he entered the race six weeks ago takes aim at so-called ''sanctuary cities,'' where illegal immigrants can seek social services and report crime without fear of being turned in. The former Tennessee senator's plan is meant to appease the conservative wing of the party, which lashed out earlier this year against legislation to steer illegal immigrants toward citizenship.

Giuliani and another major candidate, Mitt Romney, reacted immediately by picking apart Thompson's past votes on immigration, putting the contentious issue that flummoxed Congress earlier this year on the front burner of the 2008 campaign.

Thompson talked about immigration during visits Tuesday with sheriff's deputies in Naples trained to participate in federal raids, and with a Cuban-American family in Miami that owns a fast-growing oil company.

In addition to punishing cities and states that help illegal immigrants, Thompson proposed denying federal grants to public universities that offer in-state tuition to the children of illegal immigrants. He also picked up on the criticism that Romney has hurled for weeks at Giuliani, who, as mayor of New York City, fought a federal law that required city employees to turn in illegal immigrants seeking help.

Giuliani's campaign responded that Thompson has opposed some anti-illegal-immigration efforts himself, including legislation that would have required employers to verify the legal status of new hires. ''That's not consistent or conservative,'' said Giuliani spokeswoman Katie Levinson.

Thompson responded: ``My opponents would like to focus in on a minnow and avoid looking at the whale, and the whale is that some of them have supported sanctuary cities, and as far as I know, still do. . . . In 1996, I helped outlaw sanctuary cities. Mayor Giuliani went to court to overturn the law we passed.''

More recently, Thompson, Giuliani and Romney all opposed legislation backed by President Bush that would have allowed illegal immigrants to earn legal status.

Thompson's plan also calls for increasing border patrols, raiding companies that employ illegal workers and making English the official language of the United States, which would mean ballots and other government documents would not be translated.

''This is one of the harshest and most Draconian proposals I've heard of in a long time,'' said Cheryl Little, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center. ``President Bush called upon Congress to fix our broken immigration system, and this does not move the debate forward. On the contrary.''

But those who favor tighter immigration controls welcomed the proposal.

''It's strong on enforcement,'' said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington. ``It gets the idea that the goal of enforcement is gradual attrition rather than magically rounding up all the illegal aliens.''

Krikorian, who described Thompson's proposal as one of the most sweeping offered by a candidate in recent years, noted his proposed limit on visas to the spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens. Current law allows parents, siblings and adult children of citizens to seek green cards, which critics say creates ``chain migration.''

Immigrant-rights activists have asked Miami-Dade County and local municipalities to follow the lead of New Haven, Conn., which began issuing identification cards to undocumented immigrants. New York has offered driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, but Florida has stood by its post-9/11 decision to link licenses to a visa's duration.

Though some South Florida police departments make it clear that they do not enforce immigration law, officers are free to inquire about legal status if they have probable cause or make an arrest.

Thompson's campaign said he wanted to highlight an immigrant success story by visiting Urbieta Oil in Medley, founded by a Cuban exile who bought his first gas station in Miami in 1973. The company now owns 20 stations and was first in South Florida to sell an ethanol-gasoline mixture.

Thompson said the United States needs to embrace renewable fuels to wean its dependence off petroleum-rich countries like Venezuela, where President Hugo Chávez has curtailed civil rights.

''We can't continue to be dependent on places in the world that are inimical to our American interests,'' he said.

Miami-Dade County Commissioners Joe Martinez and Natacha Seijas joined Thompson at the campaign appearance and announced their support.

[MW]

``President Bush called upon Congress to fix our broken immigration system, and this does not move the debate forward. On the contrary.''

The time for debating illegal immigration and border security has passed, it's now time for action! The American people have spoken and it's high time the U.S. Congress and the President of the United States listened.

[realbsball]

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[Rockfish]

As long as Thompson remains committed to the CFR, he doesn't stand a chance with me. He can blab and flip-flop all he wants..he won't get anywhere. Besides, there's something to be said about an actor being elected as a government official--you never know when they are being up front..or just acting. Let's don't forget, acting is, in a sense, a form of deception even at the very least...we definately don't need this AGAIN in OUR White House.

[GREGAGREATAMERICAN]

I agree talk is over He can Get some thing done now as well as the rest of the caidates I want to see any of them Do Something while they run except run