Thread: Immigration groups slam Huckabee as a 'disaster'

Immigration groups slam Huckabee as a 'disaster'


November 30, 2007


By Stephen Dinan - Groups that support a crackdown on illegal aliens haven't settled on their champion in the race for the White House, but there's little doubt which Republican scares them most — former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

"He was an absolute disaster on immigration as governor," said Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, a group that played a major role in rallying the phone calls that helped defeat this year's Senate immigration bill. "Every time there was any enforcement in his state, he took the side of the illegal aliens."

As Mr. Huckabee rises in the polls, his opponents are beginning to take shots at him on immigration. Just as problematic for the former Arkansas governor, however, is that the independent interest groups that track the issue are also giving him the once-over, and don't like what they see.

"Huckabee is the guy who scares the heck out of me," said Peter Gadiel, president of 9-11 Families for a Secure America, a group instrumental in fighting for the REAL ID Act that sets federal standards for driver's licenses.

Some leaders said Mr. Huckabee reminds them of President Bush, who pushed for legalization of illegal aliens and a new supply of foreign guest workers, despite his base calling for better border security and enforcement.

"I would say that Huckabee comes from the same perspective on the issue that George W. Bush came from — that out of a strong sense of compassion, he tries to identify with someone who comes to the United States, even if they came illegally," said Steven A. Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies.

Mr. Huckabee yesterday defended his record, but he said if voters are looking for the toughest guy, he's not their man.

"Is my answer satisfactory to all the Republicans? The answer's 'no.' " he said. "Some people want me to be a lot harsher. I think my answer is the honest and the right one."

The former governor said the borders should be secured and said he opposes sanctuary cities shielding illegal aliens and opposes amnesty, though he does think illegal aliens can be put on a path to citizenship — something many conservatives equate to amnesty.

But he said he finds a lot of anger and frustration directed at immigrants who don't speak English.

"Unfortunately, instead of being angry at the federal government for totally failing us in this, they sometimes get angry at the people themselves," he said.

He also said he's willing to take the heat for pushing for illegal alien students to be able to get taxpayer-funded financial aid and college scholarships.

"Our country is better than that, to punish children for what their parents did in breaking the law. If that costs me the election, it costs me the election, but somewhere along the line we cannot just pander to the anger and hostility without challenging it," he said.

Mr. Huckabee said he will produce a full plan to address illegal entry at some point, and he said he hasn't worked out specifics yet for who would get a path to citizenship and how.

"At some point, they do have to go back and start, they do have to pay a monetary fine, there has to be some type of restitution made for the law that has been broken, but it has to be reasonable and commensurate with the violation," he said.

As Mr. Huckabee's campaign gains attention — he is polling in first place in Iowa, the site of the first nominating contest — his immigration stance is getting a closer look. Fellow candidate Mitt Romney questioned him about his financial aid plan during Wednesday night's debate, and the video of that made the rounds of the immigration-control groups yesterday.

None of the groups has endorsed any candidates in the Democratic or Republican races, and they are divided on who the best candidate is.

On Thanksgiving, Mr. Beck wrote an e-mail to his supporters praising the immigration plan of Fred Thompson, a former senator who is running for the Republican nomination and who has called for attrition through enforcement.

"I really was blown away. I said, my gosh, this is an incredible platform," Mr. Beck said in an interview this week.

James J. Boulet Jr., executive director of English First, which wants to make English the official language of the government, said Mr. Romney had the best official record on that issue, opposing bilingual education during his term as Massachusetts governor.

Both Mr. Romney and Mr. Thompson have said they wouldn't create a new pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens, and Mr. Romney also has hinted he wants illegal aliens to go home through attrition. But Mr. Beck said Mr. Thompson's plan is the most detailed at this point, and he praised Mr. Thompson's call to even end some immigration programs such as the diversity visa lottery.

"The fact that he has OK'd these positions on such a volatile topic shows he really takes voters' concerns seriously and he believes there ought to be more than just sound bites about it," Mr. Beck said.

Reps. Ron Paul of Texas, Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Duncan Hunter of California all win near universal praise from the group leaders, but the leaders question whether any of the three have a shot at winning the nomination. Most of the leaders dismissed Arizona Sen. John McCain, a longtime advocate of legalizing illegal aliens, saying he appears to have little shot of winning the nomination.

As for Rudolph W. Giuliani, several leaders said his record as New York mayor was worrisome — he ran a sanctuary city, which means the identity of illegal aliens was kept from authorities in some cases — but they are impressed with his tough border-security position.


www.washingtontimes.com

Awesome article! I can hear Huckabee's numbers falling like the sound of a falling bomb!

W

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-2752--0-0.html

Mike Huckabee's actual position on border security and illegal immigration is quite different from the current one he now portrays in debates and in his campaign ads. It was revealed that as governor Mike Huckabee lobbied for access and in-state tuition rates for illegal aliens attending Arkansas colleges and Universities who has previously attended taxpayer funded Arkansas public schools in an illegal capacity. This puts Huckabee's pandering to illegal aliens above that of his own citizens and legal immigrants on par with what each and every liberal Democrat running for President supports and endorses and is analogous to the irresponsible and insane plan by the governor of New York to grant state driver's licenses to illegal aliens, which like his education initiative was overwhelmingly rejected by both Republicans and Democrats and finally failed. Now however, Mike Huckabee is portraying his position on border security and illegal immigration as being second only to Tom Tancredo's. Yet this can hardly be the truth when in his own words on a radio address in 2003, Mr. Huckabee had this to say about illegal immigration:

"For decades, we treated our state's African-American population poorly. The Hispanic influx gives us a second chance to prove what kind of people we really are."

Huckabee further compared the plight of illegal aliens to enslaved blacks and made a moral equivalency between securing national borders and enforcing immigration laws to the mistreatment of black slaves in a later address in 2006 before a meeting of the Political Animals Club in Little Rock:

"One of the great challenges facing us is that we do not commit the same mistakes with our growing Hispanic population that we did with African-Americans 150 years ago and beyond. We're still paying the price for the pathetic manner in which the country handled that."

Huckabee finished up with this incredible remark:

"I think frankly the Lord is giving us a second chance to do better than we did before."

Huckabee's remarks are not only ridiculously irresponsible and utterly nonsensical, but extremely insulting to both the descendants of negro slaves, but the honest, hard working, taxpaying, law abiding American citizens and legal immigrants that have struggled over centuries to make this country what it is today by respecting our laws, our culture, our traditions, and contributing to our society in a positive and meaningful way as assimilated American citizens, not separatist enclave building, assimilation resistant illegal foreign nationals.

For Huckabee's detrimental and destructive ideology concerning border security, immigration, national sovereignty, and his bizarre and insulting analogy between comparing the desire for safe, secure borders and sane, rational immigration policy to the unspeakable brutality of chattel slavery, he will never, ever get my vote because this ideology is both borderline insanity as well as unbelievably and incredibly insulting to millions upon millions of decent, honest, and honorable people who struggle and strive to do the right things out of genuine respect and concern for what is truly fair, just, moral, and right for our country and its citizens.

Let's spread the word to Iowa voters and elsewhere about Huckabee's extreme pro-amnesty stances. As more and more voters and citizens want to restore the rule of law and end illegal immigration, Huckabee would take us in the opposite direction. He would be a huge step backwards. Don't let voters be fooled by his "aw shucks" charm.

Mike Huckabee is an ex-fat man. Much like many ex-smokers who become anti tobacco activist, Mr. Huckabee is already beating the drum for health food and exercise for everyone. Sorry, I want a President not a nanny.

Originally Posted by ToeNee

Mike Huckabee is an ex-fat man. Much like many ex-smokers who become anti tobacco activist, Mr. Huckabee is already beating the drum for health food and exercise for everyone. Sorry, I want a President not a nanny.

I'm astounded that more conservatives and "no on illegal immigration" types are falling for this man's masquerade.

It's worth a bump if just one person sees this.

Three words: "Google Ron Paul"

If Ron Paul was such a righteous man why is he using an un-American company to advertize with? Google is so greedy its owners agree to limit what people can view just to make a buck. That's not the American way. I spit on google and shame on Ron Paul for pandering to them.

"I would say that Huckabee comes from the same perspective on the issue that George W. Bush came from — that out of a strong sense of compassion, he tries to identify with someone who comes to the United States, even if they came illegally,

Exactly my point.. same old Bull Sh_t in a New Package

throw that in with his support by the CFR and I am running like a wild man away frm this fool