Thread: Immigration issues: Where Republican candidates stand

Immigration issues: Where Republican candidates stand

July 16, 2007

SENATE IMMIGRATION BILL

BROWNBACK: "I am not convinced it would fix our broken immigration system and it would most likely repeat the mistakes of the 1986 reform," said Brownback. During the Senate vote he initially voted "yes" but then switched his vote to "no." He said that he "wanted to signal that I support comprehensive immigration reform, but now is not the time, this is not the bill."

GIULIANI: He opposed it. "The problem with this immigration plan is it has no real unifying purpose," he said. "It's a typical Washington mess." After it failed, he called it a "mish-mash" written for lawyers that would have created more problems.

HUCKABEE: "I oppose the current immigration bill that the Senate is considering because it offers amnesty," he said at the time. "While I appreciate the hard work of the Senate and the administration, this bill is not in the best interests of our national security, our citizens, and those who are patiently following the rules to become citizens."

HUNTER: He said the bill never should have been considered in the first place. "It is time that we abandon the concept of rewarding those who have broken our laws and take action to secure our borders and enforce existing immigration laws," he said.

MCCAIN: He supported the plan, saying an immigration overhaul was long overdue. "While I may not be in agreement with each and every provision in this bill - likely no one is - it offers a very good starting point for this debate," he said. He said after it failed that "the American people will not settle for the status quo - de facto amnesty and broken borders."

PAUL: He said it was "good news" that it failed. "Here we had a vastly expensive piece of legislation that would have made the immigration problem worse, and put more controls on the economy. So naturally, the entire establishment was behind it," he said.

ROMNEY: He called the failure of the plan a "victory for the people" and said "the bill was flawed and for that reason is not going to be contemplated." However, his top economics adviser publicly advocated the bill's passage. Campaign aides said Romney disagreed with the adviser and makes his own policy decisions.

TANCREDO: He opposed the compromise. "It's time to move forward with what we should have been doing when this bill was originally passed in 1986, and consistently enforce the laws. I call it Plan A," he said. He said "the American people are dead-set against amnesty."

F. THOMPSON: He opposed it, saying that "no matter how much lipstick Washington tries to slap onto this legislative pig, it's not going to win any beauty contests." The entire immigration debate should be shelved until progress has been made on securing the borders, he said.

T. THOMPSON: He opposed the bill, calling it amnesty for 12 million people living in the country illegally. "The Senate should set this compromise aside and start by recognizing that there will be no amnesty or benefit to anyone who broke our laws to enter this country," he said.

PATH TO CITIZENSHIP

BROWNBACK: "I don't think you create any new paths to citizenship," he said. Immigrants should be allowed "to be able to use paths that they would currently qualify for, and to be able to get in the back of the line. And that's part of leadership and getting something resolved," he said.

GIULIANI: He has said the federal government should secure its borders and address concerns about security before tackling the issue of immigrants already in the United States. He said he is opposed to amnesty. The New York Times has reported he believes those here illegally must earn their citizenship.

HUCKABEE: Illegal immigrants who commit crimes "must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and incarcerated or deported," he said. He is opposed to amnesty and believes that "those who came here illegally years ago and are now law-abiding taxpayers must pay a significant fine as admission of their guilt and have a choice of deportation or a rigorous process toward legal status."

HUNTER: He said that "the idea that amnesty must be accepted in order to achieve secure and enforceable borders is absurd." Providing a path to citizenship would tell the world that the United States is not serious about enforcing its border laws, he said.

MCCAIN: He supported the proposals in the Senate bill to allow illegal immigrants to obtain citizenship, after steps were taken to increase border security. He said the bill would "establish a process by which our country will finally have a system that emphasizes immigrants that contribute to the economic and cultural growth of our nation, ending the practice of chain migration."

PAUL: He said immigration officials must track visa holders and deport anyone who overstays a visa or otherwise violates U.S. law. He is opposed to amnesty and "birthright citizenship" for children of illegal immigrants. He has also called for an end to welfare benefits, "mandatory medical care" and public education for illegal immigrants.

ROMNEY: He said he was opposed to proposed "Z" visas in the Senate bill that would allow illegal immigrants to eventually become citizens. "The point is: Every illegal alien, almost every one, under this bill, gets to stay here," he said. "That's not fair to the millions and millions of people around the world that would love to come here, join with family members, bring skill and education that we need."

TANCREDO: The only "realistic solution" to illegal immigration is a strategy of attrition, he has said. He would cut off the incentives for coming to and staying in America, by going after employers. Criminal cases should be brought against sanctuary cities, he has said. "America must also reexamine its legal immigration policies," he said. "America should reduce legal immigration to 250,000 people a year, which will allow the newcomers to assimilate."

F. THOMPSON: He has said that "it's just not realistic that we're going to round up 12 million people and ship them all out of the country." He said there is "no good solution" so "you have to start over. Well, I'm concerned about the next 12 million or 20 million. So that's why enforcement, and enforcement at the border, has to be primary." He does not favor amnesty.

T. THOMPSON: He said he is opposed to amnesty. "People who are found to be in the country illegally should be returned to their home countries and should have to wait at the end of the line, behind people who are seeking to enter the country or become citizens legally," he said.

JOBS, WORKPLACE ENFORCEMENT, IDs

BROWNBACK: He has said workplace enforcement is essential. Law enforcement officials must be able to "identify and quickly remove criminal illegal aliens," he said. A secure, fraud-resistant ID must be the foundation of a robust worksite enforcement system that requires every new employee to be screened for valid work authorization, he said.

GIULIANI: He has proposed "tamper-proof" ID cards and a database that would track people in the United States from foreign countries. He says that "we need people to come forward who are working so they'll get identified, get fingerprinted, get photographed. And then we should focus our attention on the people who don't come forward."

HUCKABEE: He has said that "we need to create a process to allow people to come here to do the jobs - plucking chickens, tarring roofs, picking fruits - that are going unfilled by our citizens. They must have a tamper-proof, scannable ID with a finger or retinal scan, so that their employers know they belong here."

HUNTER: He argues that the key to curbing illegal immigration is building a border fence. "I know fencing helps secure our nation's borders because criminal activity in every statistical category has been eliminated or decreased since we built the border fence in San Diego County," he said.

MCCAIN: He supported the Senate proposal to toughen employer requirements for verification of immigrant status. He also said the bill would "put employers on notice that the practice of hiring illegal workers simply will not be tolerated."

PAUL: He has said that the current welfare system encourages illegal immigrants by discouraging Americans from taking low-wage jobs, creating a greater demand for illegal foreign labor.

ROMNEY: He has said he supports a "reliable employment verification system." As governor, he gave the go-ahead to state police to give them the authority to deal with immigration violations. He would consider offering foreign students attending U.S. colleges and universities the chance to remain legally in the country upon graduation.

TANCREDO: He would have employers check all workers' Social Security numbers. If a number isn't valid, the employee would be given two weeks to sort out the problem. He also supports workplace raids, and, if illegal immigrants are found, then checking their living quarters for other illegal immigrants.

F. THOMPSON: He has said borders must be secured first and "a nation without secure borders will not long be a sovereign nation." He said voters did not believe Washington politicians when they said border security was part of the Senate immigration bill.

T. THOMPSON: He has said that "we must enforce our immigration policies to the fullest extent of the law."

BORDER SECURITY

BROWNBACK: He spoke in favor of provisions in the Senate immigration bill dealing with border security, including a national border control strategy, an increased number of border officials, construction of vehicle barriers and fencing, deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles and more.

GIULIANI: He has said that the federal government needs to ensure the borders are secure so as to prevent future terrorist attacks and so must end illegal immigration. A recent car bomb scare in London underscored the need for better borders, he said.

HUCKABEE: He has said Americans should be worried about security on both the northern and southern borders. "What we need to do is to have a border that is sealed and the same kind of process that we have to go through if we go into a stadium: We go in one at a time and we have a ticket," he said.

HUNTER: He has said that protecting the homeland at the borders is a priority for national security and fencing has been found effective. As a member of Congress, he wrote the Secure Fence Act, extending the San Diego fence across California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. He said "building fences in strategic locations along our international borders is a proven method of keeping America safe."

MCCAIN: He has insisted that border security must be achieved before any other steps toward allowing a guest worker program or providing a path to citizenship. "Our current system doesn't protect us from people who want to harm us," he said.

PAUL: He supported the Secure Fence Act in Congress, establishing fencing on the southern border. "The problems associated with illegal immigration cannot be addressed unless and until we gain physical control of our borders and coastlines," Paul said.

ROMNEY: He has said securing the border is part of a three-tiered plan to deal with illegal immigration. He is also in favor of fencing at the border.

TANCREDO: The nation needs to go after employers and secure the border, he said, and has questioned other candidates' commitment to border security. He has been highly critical of the prosecution of two border patrol agents convicted of shooting a Mexican drug smuggler. He backed the Secure Fence Act in the House.

F. THOMPSON: He has said enforcement at the border has to be "primary."

T. THOMPSON: The border must be secured first, he said. "But unless you secure the border, it is not right to give 12 million individuals who have illegal rights in this country status before that border is protected," he said.

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