Thompson: Tough stance on immigration
CAMPAIGN 2008 | REPUBLICANS
Thompson: Tough stance on immigration
Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson condemned illegal immigration while campaigning at a Miami-area business founded by a Cuban exile.
Posted on Wed, Oct. 24, 2007Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email
BY BETH REINHARD AND ALFONSO CHARDY
breinhard@MiamiHerald.com
CARL JUSTE/MIAMI HERALD STAFF
Fred Thompson meets well-wishers at Urbieta Oil Co. Tuesday.
Political Currents | Complete coverage of local, state, national and hemispheric political news
Document | Press release from Fred Thompson's campaign
During a campaign swing Tuesday through South Florida, Republican presidential contender Fred Thompson pushed for a crackdown on illegal immigrants and accused rival Rudy Giuliani of sheltering them as mayor of New York City.
Thompson's first major policy proposal since he entered the race six weeks ago takes aim at so-called sanctuary cities, where illegal immigrants can seek social services and report crime without fear of being turned in. The former Tennessee senator's plan is meant to appease the conservative wing of the party, which lashed out earlier this year against legislation to steer illegal immigrants toward citizenship.
Giuliani and another major candidate, Mitt Romney, reacted immediately by picking apart Thompson's past votes on immigration, putting the contentious issue that flummoxed Congress earlier this year on the front burner of the 2008 campaign.
Thompson talked about immigration during visits Tuesday with sheriff's deputies in Naples trained to participate in federal raids, and with a Cuban-American family in Miami who own a fast-growing oil company.
In addition to punishing cities and states that help illegal immigrants, Thompson proposed denying federal grants to public universities that offer in-state tuition to the children of illegal immigrants. He also picked up on the criticism that Romney has hurled for weeks at Giuliani, who, as mayor of New York City, fought a federal law that required city employees to turn in illegal immigrants seeking help.
Giuliani's campaign responded that Thompson has opposed some anti-illegal-immigration efforts himself, including legislation that would have required employers to verify the legal status of new hires. ''That's not consistent or conservative,'' said Giuliani spokeswoman Katie Levinson.
STRIKING BACK
Thompson responded: ``My opponents would like to focus in on a minnow and avoid looking at the whale, and the whale is that some of them have supported sanctuary cities, and as far as I know, still do. . . . In 1996, I helped outlaw sanctuary cities. Mayor Giuliani went to court to overturn the law we passed.''
More recently, Thompson, Giuliani and Romney all opposed legislation backed by President Bush that would have allowed illegal immigrants to earn legal status.
Thompson's plan also calls for increasing border patrols, raiding companies that employ illegal workers and making English the official language of the United States, which would mean ballots and other government documents would not be translated.
''This is one of the harshest and most Draconian proposals I've heard of in a long time,'' said Cheryl Little, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center. ``President Bush called upon Congress to fix our broken immigration system, and this does not move the debate forward. On the contrary.''
But those who favor tighter immigration controls welcomed the proposal.
''It's strong on enforcement,'' said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington. ``It gets the idea that the goal of enforcement is gradual attrition rather than magically rounding up all the illegal aliens.''
Krikorian, who described Thompson's proposal as one of the most sweeping by a candidate in recent years, noted his limit on visas to the spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens. Current law allows parents, siblings and adult children of citizens to seek green cards, which critics say creates ``chain migration.''
Immigrant-rights activists have asked Miami-Dade County and local municipalities to follow the lead of New Haven, Conn., which began issuing identification cards to undocumented immigrants. New York has offered driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, but Florida has stood by its post-9/11 decision to link licenses to a visa's duration.
Though some South Florida police departments make it clear that they do not enforce immigration law, officers are free to inquire about legal status if they have probable cause or make an arrest.
WHY MEDLEY
Thompson's campaign said he wanted to highlight an immigrant success story by visiting Urbieta Oil in Medley, founded by a Cuban exile who bought his first gas station in Miami in 1973. The company now owns 20 stations and was first in South Florida to sell an ethanol-gasoline mixture.
Thompson said the United States needs to embrace renewable fuels to wean its dependence off petroleum-rich countries like Venezuela, where President Hugo Chávez has curtailed civil rights.
''We can't continue to be dependent on places in the world that are inimical to our American interests,'' he said.
Miami-Dade County Commissioners Joe Martinez and Natacha Seijas joined Thompson at the campaign appearance and announced their support.
Join the discussion
The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.
Recent Comments
I find it bewildering, amusing, and frusrtating that if you oppose...
I am intrigued with Thompson's position on illegal immigration. I...
Hmm, "Thompson." Is that name Hopi? Or Sioux? Or, since he's from...
It's very unfortunate when every politician triesto use the illegal...
Immigration is good. Immigrants contribute greatly to our culture...
»Read More
