Mike Huckabee
Republican
Former governor of Arkansas

Give illegal immigrants 120 to register and leave, after which they could apply to return; toughen penalties for hiring illegal immigrants; finish border fence by 2010.

On the Border Fence and Border Security

Finish border fence by 2010; deploy 23,000 more patrol agents.

"I think this can't be brought to a rational discussion until we first bring security to the borders. I think that this has to be the very first step that the president takes, is secure the borders, physically or electronically so that you stop this porous situation where people come across at will. Until that happens, all of the discussion of what we need to be doing on this side with the existing immigrants becomes moot."

— The Des Moines Register, April 13, 2007On Illegal Aliens Already in the Country
GIVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS 120 DAYS TO REGISTER AND LEAVE, AFTER WHICH THEY COULD APPLY TO RETURN; TOUGHEN PENALTIES FOR EMPLOYERS WHO HIRE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Increase skilled worker visas. Create system to verify legal status.

"We shouldn't have amnesty where we just say, 'Fine, everybody's good, we're going to let it go.' We should have a process where people can pay the penalties, step up and accept responsibility for not being here legally.

But here's the point. The objective is not to be punitive. The objective is to make things right. Right for us. Right for them."

— "This Week," February 7, 2007

Actions on the Issue

Sponsored a resolution, adopted by the Southern Governors Association, which, among other things, recommended implementing a farm labor system to import farm workers from Canada and Mexico.

Proposed a bill that would have allowed children of undocumented immigrants who graduated high school to qualify to receive a state scholarship to attend an Arkansas college. That bill didn't pass the state legislature.

As governor of Arkansas, opposed a proposal banning state-funded services to illegal immigrants.

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