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Huckabee Defends President's Immigration Plan

Governor Huckabee says some anti-immigration Republicans are guilty of demagoguery and racism. Huckabee was in Washington, DC on Tuesday, and he defended President Bush's immigration plan.

Huckabee is considering a run for president in 2008.

Huckabee said at a luncheon with political reporters that he supported Bush's plans to deploy 6000 National Guard troops along the Mexican border. The president also wants to give illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. That aspect of the plan has been denounced by conservative leaders who consider that tantamount to amnesty.

Huckabee said he was surprised by the anger that immigration reform generates. It would be impossible, he said, to deport the 12 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Kat Robinson, Producer