Thread: Ron Paul: Arrest and Deport Illegal Immigrants

No Amnesty. Enforce the Borders. End Birthright Citizenship. Learn English.by Jake Morphonios
(liberal)
Friday, August 6, 2010
Congressman Ron Paul of Texas doesn't mince words. On the subject of illegal immigration he said emphatically, "One important solution is better enforcement of the laws we've got - which plainly call for illegal immigrants to be arrested and deported."

He makes clear his position that the responsibility of immigration enforcement is the job of the President, not the Congress. In 2005, Paul wrote:

"The ultimate responsibility for our immigration mess, therefore, lies squarely with successive presidents, not Congress. For decades our chief executives simply have lacked the political will, the manpower, or the desire to police our borders and deport lawbreakers. It's been nearly impossible politically for presidents or candidates to suggest the obvious, namely that illegal immigration mocks the rule of law and creates huge social and economic problems. But the tide is turning, and a majority of Americans will demand real action on immigration by the next administration."

These words seem prophetic in light of the current national debate over Arizona's controversial immigration law. Ron Paul has repeatedly taken firm stands on the subject of illegal immigration. For example, at the GOP Presidential Forum at Morgan State University, Paul said that he will not support any bill that provides amnesty to illegal aliens. "We have to stick to our guns on obeying the law, and anybody who comes in here illegally shouldn't be rewarded."

While the illegal immigration issue is complex, Representative Paul has outlined his solution in three steps.

First, existing immigration laws must be enforced by the President and our borders must be secured once and for all. Paul said,

"We must recognize that true national defense means defending our own borders and coastlines. This is the primary constitutional responsibility of the federal government. This means it's time to stop spending hundreds of billions of dollars on overseas military adventures and countless alphabet soup domestic agencies. Borders should be the number one national priority, plain and simple. Does the federal government have something better to do?"

Second, birthright citizenship must be ended by amending the US Constitution. In 1868, the United States adopted the 14th Amendment to the Constitution which states, in part:

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

The original intent of this amendment was to overrule the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision which denied blacks the privileges of citizenship. However, from the beginning the scope and meaning of the amendment generated much debate. Many members of Congress, including the author of the 14th Amendment's Citizenship Clause, Senator Jacob Howard, described the amendment as approvingly excluding certain groups such as American Indians who maintained their tribal ties.

In 1988, while running as the Presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party, Ron Paul said, "there shouldn't be any immigration policy at all. We should welcome everyone who wants to come here and work." He was asked about this quote on Meet the Press during his second presidential run.

Paul explained:

"During that campaign I got into trouble with Libertarians because I said there may well be a time when immigration is like an invasion and we have to treat it differently. My approach to immigration is somewhat different than the others. Mine is you deal with it economically. We're in worse shape now because we subsidize immigration. We give food stamps, Social Security, free medical care, free education and amnesty. So you subsidize it, and you have a mess. Conditions have changed. And I think this means that we should look at immigration differently. It's an economic issue more than anything. If our economy was in good health, I don't think there'd be an immigration problem. We'd be looking for workers and we would be very generous."

Today, when an illegal immigrant sneaks across the border and has a child, that child is automatically granted all the rights and privileges of any other US citizen, including access to social welfare programs such as food stamps, housing benefits, free education and medical care. Ron Paul opposes birthright citizenship to illegal immigrants as is permitted under the 14th Amendment.

Paul introduced House Joint Resolution 46 in an attempt to begin the process of changing the 14th Amendment, with the following explanation:

"As long as illegal immigrants know that their children born here will be citizens, the perverse incentive to sneak into this country remains strong. Citizenship involves more than the mere location of one's birth. True citizenship requires cultural connections and an allegiance to the United States. Americans are happy to welcome those who wish to come here and build a better life for themselves, but we rightfully expect immigrants to show loyalty and attempt to assimilate themselves culturally. Birthright citizenship sometimes confers the benefits of being American on people who do not truly embrace America."

Paul's final recommendation for dealing with the immigration problem is to end welfare state subsidies for illegal immigrants. He said,

"Some illegal immigrants-- certainly not all-- receive housing subsidies, food stamps, free medical care, and other forms of welfare. This alienates taxpayers and breeds suspicion of immigrants, even though the majority of them work very hard. Without a welfare state, we would know that everyone coming to America wanted to work hard and support himself."

Other immigration positions taken by Congressman Ron Paul:

He voted to support the 700 mile fence along the Mexican border (HR 6061).

He co-sponsored HR 997 to declare English the official language of the United States. A portion of the bill read, "All citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the laws of the US.

He opposes changing the Constitution to allow men like foreign born citizens like Arnold Schwarzenegger to run for President.

He voted to support Amendment 968 of House Resolution 5441. The amendment prohibited the US from telling the Mexican government the whereabouts of the Minuteman Project volunteers who provided border surveillance. Paul voted against HR 5441 as a whole.

He voted Yes for HR 3722 which required hospitals to gather and report information on possible illegal aliens before they could be reimbursed for treating them. The bill also specified that hospitals would not be required to provide care to undocumented aliens if they could be transported to their home country without a significant chance of their condition worsening.

He voted Yes for HR 3736, increasing the number of temporary visas granted to highly skilled workers.

Links to Article References:

Texas Straight Talk , On the Issues , English Language Unity Act , Secure Fence Act, DHS Appropriations Bill , Undocumented Alien Emergency Medical Assistance, Immigrant Visas, Project Vote
http://www.nolanchart.com/article7907.html

YES, ARREST AND DEPORT ALL ILLEGALS. ILLEGALS COST TOO MUCH. JUST CHECK THE BUDGETS OF EACH STATE. THEY PROVIDE MONEY TO ILLEGALS. THEY MUST NOT DO THAT. ILLEGALS ARE ILLEGALS. THEY MUST NO RESIDE IN THIS COUNTRY. THEY MUST BE DEPORTED. WE MUST NOT CONDONE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. WHO CARES WHAT FOREIGN NATIONS THINK IF WE DEPORT THE ILLEGALS. HERE WHAT MATTERS IS OUR FINANCIAL SITUATION. WE CANNOT/MUST NOT KEEP ILLEGALS HERE. DEPORT THEM NOW.

One thing I will give Bush credit for

The raids at the end of his term did more to strike fear into their rats warrens then anything since.

Stuff um and cuff um , Do this for a year and millions of them will head for the border on their own.

Fear works , right now they have no fear

You are well aware that we can NOT reward Illegal aliens any more, ever. If you grant an amnesty it guarantees a push for the next one and it guarantees more attempts to illegally enter the U S or stay past the visa expirations...

You MUST take away any and ALL incentives including birthright citizenship in order to deter illegal entry as well...Its the only way to combat illegal immigration.

I don't feel sorry for a single illegal alien. I want them all deported. I want my country back. I didn't choose to move to a foreign country. I am sick and tired of not being able to go anywhere without hearing Spanish. We can't even take our kids to a park. They are everywhere in droves with their zillion kids tagging along.

Originally Posted by MontereySherry

I don't feel sorry for a single illegal alien. I want them all deported. I want my country back. I didn't choose to move to a foreign country. I am sick and tired of not being able to go anywhere without hearing Spanish. We can't even take our kids to a park. They are everywhere in droves with their zillion kids tagging along.

I don't think they will be deported "en mass", only hard core criminals and easy targets like foreign students or visa over stayers who get caught working illegally.