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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 18967.html


Nov. 20, 2007, 10:54PM
Tancredo calls illegal immigration 'the ultimate issue'

By ALAN BERNSTEIN alan.bernstein@chron.com
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle


Tom Tancredo asserted in Houston on Tuesday night that Iraq and illegal immigration are part of a single front in a war over the potential destruction of American civilization.

While the U.S. deals with violence in Iraq and nuclear proliferation in the region, the Colorado congressman said, the nation faces dangers within its borders because many recent immigrants show no interest in assimilating into American society.

"People call me a one-issue candidate," said Tancredo, who helped elevate illegal immigration into a national campaign issue. "Well, OK, as long as you realize that the one thing is the survival of the United States of America."

On a rare campaign fundraising visit to Texas — the proceeds will help him travel to the early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire, he said — Tancredo spoke to about 50 people at Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant near the Galleria. Admission was $250 per person.

The candidate, who lags in the polls in the GOP primary, characterized his better-known opponents as empty suits, saying they want to be president merely for the sake of holding the office. He said he, on the other hand, wants to stir public passion about illegal immigration, which he called "the ultimate issue."

Brenda Spence, a Houston designer of electrical systems for energy exploration equipment, said at the reception that she is proud of him for being frank.

"He's the only candidate I have come across for whom I can vote without fear or regret," she said.

In the parking lot, four or five people protested Tancredo's stances with signs such as "No Human Being Is Illegal."

Tancredo told the crowd a story about meeting a cabdriving immigrant from the Ivory Coast while in Detroit.

"He wants to become an American citizen. And one of the things he is doing is learning the English language. And this is a great thing," he said.

Maggiano's is part of a national company that has distributed take-home electronic gadgets to help workers learn English restaurant terms. On the opposite side of Tancredo in the legislative debate, the restaurant's owners also are part of a national coalition that backed the unsuccessful move to offer most of the nation's 12 million illegal immigrants a way to earn citizenship.