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Sullivan blasts Bush's proposal
By RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer
6/2/2006

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The president is 'dead wrong' in wanting a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, he says.
Saying President Bush is "dead wrong" on immigration, First District Congressman John Sullivan repeated his call Thursday for tighter control of U.S. borders.

"We're a nation of immigrants, that's true; but we're also a nation of laws," Sullivan said during the Tulsa Metro Chamber's congressional forum at the Doubletree Hotel at Warren Place.

Among other measures, the Oklahoma Republican said he favors sending National Guard troops with police powers to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border and is unalterably opposed to amnesty of any kind for illegal immigrants.

That includes Bush's proposal for a "path to citizenship" involving fines and other penalties.

"We don't have an immigration policy in this country," Sullivan said.

"We have a House bill that basically deals with border security. We have a Senate bill that would give legal status to 12 million illegals . . . . If we allow 12 million to become legal like that, it's going to expand our welfare system by at least $35 million a year."

Sullivan's assertions seemed to be based on reports by the conservative

Heritage Foundation, which has said the current Senate immigration bill would provide amnesty to 9 million to 12 million illegal immigrants, resulting in the largest expansion of the welfare state in 35 years.

Proponents of the bill, including the Bush administration, dispute those figures and say immigration reform without the offer of earned citizen ship is impractical.

Sullivan, however, said "we can't have a guest worker program until we control our borders . . . . Border security is a national security issue."

Sullivan indirectly revealed his intention to seek a third full term while recapping his remarks.

"These issues," he said, "are the reasons I'm running for re-election to Congress."

Sullivan won a February 2002 special election to replace Steve Largent, then won again that fall and in 2004.

He had given no indication that he would not run for another term this year, but he had not publicly said so until Thursday.

On other issues, Sullivan said:


An energy bill approved this session is "pretty good. I wish it was a little better, but it allows us to do is expand domestic production."

Sullivan said the bill includes incentives for alternative energy sources, including several forms under development in Oklahoma.


Although critical of earmarking -- the practice of inserting targeted appropriations for projects into unrelated bills -- Sullivan said: "There needs to be transparency there. But we don't want to outlaw them all, because I want to get some of them for Tulsa."


Sullivan said he is still intent on getting a refinery built in Cushing, the hub of the nation's pipeline system.

"If I had the money, I'd build a refinery myself," he said. "But I don't."


In response to a question about indigent care in Tulsa, Sullivan urged Oklahoma to put more money into federal matching fund programs and to build more federally qualified community health centers.

"This is a huge problem," he said. "We have a large uninsured population here."


Sullivan's aside that "someone really needs to ask some questions about building a city under sea level" during a response to a question about the nation's emergency preparedness and the rebuilding of New Orleans elicited the loudest applause of his presentation.



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Randy Krehbiel 581-8365
randy.krehbiel@tulsaworld.com