Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - Fred Thompson

I know I should have done this Friday - the Holidays are keeping me busier than I like. But fortunately I should be able to send out my packages tomorrow and then all will be good.

Anyway here we go on Fred Thompson and Immigration.

The United States is a nation of immigrants. Throughout our history, legal immigrants have brought energy, ideas, strength, and diversity to our country, our economy, and our culture. This must continue. But in the post-9/11 world, immigration is more of a national security issue. A government that cannot secure its borders and determine who may enter and who may not, abrogates a fundamental responsibility. I am committed to:

* Securing our borders and enforcing immigration laws. Amnesty is not an option and the toleration of “sanctuary cities” must end.
* Reviewing our immigration laws and policies to ensure they advance our national interests.
* Uniting Americans by welcoming legal immigrants willing to learn English, assimilate into our communities, and become productive citizens.

Pretty bog standard - although he is willing to throw the sop to legal immigrants, unlike some of his candidates.

Fred Thompson has turned out to be a lot duller than anybody anticipated.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - Tom Tancredo

This is Tancredo's signature issue, and hence, we can skip by it pretty quick.

Illegal aliens threaten our economy and undermine our culture. While our brave soldiers risk their lives to protect us overseas, our political elites lack the courage to defend us at home. I am 100% opposed to amnesty. As President, I will secure our borders so illegal aliens do not come, and I will eliminate benefits and job prospects so they do not stay.

He has a whole pdf if you want to read more detail - but truthfully - it's the end of the day and I'm done. I'll have to do Thompson tomorrow.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - Mitt Romney

Well Mitt Romney does through a bit of a sop to legal immigration, but he's really down on illegal immigration, taking particular aim at sanctuary cities.

They said there's no way to stop them at the border, unless you close down the magnets. And the magnets are sanctuary cities and having employers sign people up that have come here illegally to do work here. You have to end sanctuary cities. You have to cut back on federal funding to cities that continue to call themselves sanctuary cities and welcome people in, as New York has done. And you have to say to employers that hire people illegally, 'That's also going to be sanctioned.' This is the way we're going to have to finally end it.

I do have to say I see some difference between a city saying that they aren't going to prosecute illegal immigrants too badly and employers saying we are going to exploit the hell out of people who can't really defend themselves. But Romney knows which is going to piss off the Republican base more.

He's also in favor of a national I.D. incorporating biometrics. And he's in favor of recruiting skilled immigrants. He doesn't really address the question of "Where are we going to get guys to pick tangerines for a fraction of what we would have to pay American workers?"

But none of the Republicans are addressing that one, I suppose.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - Ron Paul

Ron Paul is seen as the no-hope liberal in the race for the Republican nomination because he opposes the war. On a lot of issues, however, he's pretty conservative, and Immigration is no exception.

Basically he wants to make to build the fence (his terminology is "Physically secure our borders and coastlines" and I can't think of what else that could refer to), and he wants to ensure no amnesty.

No amnesty. Estimates suggest that 10 to 20 million people are in our country illegally. That’s a lot of people to reward for breaking our laws.

Ron Paul doesn't even really have the sop about rewarding Immigrants who come here legally. No, when it comes to Immigration, you can't really confuse Paul for a Democrat.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - John McCain

John McCain has been tarred on this issue pretty regularly, but let's see how he does.

Well he doesn't want to make America the world's largest gated community (I'm certain I ripped that line off from someone but can't remember who at the moment). In fact some of these phrases sound like red flags. Or they would sound like red flags to our buddies on the right. John McCain wants a plan that will

Recognize the importance of a flexible labor market to keep employers in business and our economy on top. It should provide skilled Americans and immigrants with opportunity. Our education system should ensure skills for our younger workers, and our retraining and assistance programs for displaced workers must be modernized so they can pursue those opportunities

. . . Recognize that America will always be that "shining city upon a hill," a beacon of hope and opportunity for those seeking a better life built on hard work and optimism.

Huh? What about the fear of being colonized? Does McCain want us to be colonized?

McCain doesn't have much of a chance at this point, and his views on Iraq are intolerable, but at least he has a few good bones in his body, I guess.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - Alan Keyes

One think I like about Alan Keyes is that all of his website is written as his point of view, as if he had written it himself. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that he had written it all himself. Makes for a nice change.

Anyway he's not keen on illegal immigration, as you might expect. He wants to prevent what he calls colonization - by which he means the scary prospect that America might not be dominated by White Males.

Worth noting here that Keyes is black.

Until our political leaders put in place the tools and forces needed to control our borders, responsible and moral Americans should oppose any measures that would signal our acceptance of the de facto colonization of our country.

President Bush's guest-worker proposal and the Senate's amnesty bill are such measures. They may serve short-sighted business interests intent on cheapening the cost of labor in our economy, and they may serve the corrupt interests of Mexican and other foreign elites seeking to relieve the pressure created by their own policies of greedy exploitation, but they do not serve the common good. Serving the common good demands policies that give preference in immigration not just to workers seeking jobs and money, but to those who seek liberty and the responsibilities of citizenship.

Let me add that it is incongruous that in the midst of the struggle we are now waging against the international terror network--a struggle that has taken various forms, including, we are told, the effort we are making on behalf of self-government and liberty in Iraq--I think it's incongruous that we should be putting forth such a maximal effort of sending our men and women over there to risk their lives and spill their blood, and meanwhile we are being told that we don't have the right to defend the integrity of the identity and the borders and the self-government of our own people.

Well that's that. Still, Keyes is long on emotion here, and not as long on how he will protect us from the brown menace.

Candidate Review - Electoral Reform - Duncan Hunter

Duncan Hunter has a lot to say on Illegal Immigration. He also wants to build a wall, and he's very keen on stopping amnesty.

America has one of the most generous immigration policies in the world. It is unacceptable that we allow millions of people to sneak in the back door of our country when the front door is available. We have tried amnesty and it does not work. We must enforce and, as necessary, tighten our immigration laws and secure our border–it is a matter of national security.

I'm not sure about us having one of the most generous immigration policies in the world. That might be more Republican "America is the Bestest" rhetoric.

Anyway he proposes denying citizenship to any candidate who doesn't have one parent who is a citizen (no more just being born here). He also wants an employee registration system, so that employers don't accidentally hire illegal aliens (although paying them a third of what they pay American employees might have been a tip off).

Candidate Review - Electoral Reform - Mike Huckabee

Mike Huckabee has a 9 point plan to stop Illegal Immigration. He's going to build the wall, increase border patrol, prevent amnesty, enforce the law on employers, establish an economic border (which means passing the Fair Tax, which Immigrants won't like), empower local authorities, ensure document security, discourage dual citizenship (not exactly sure why this is a big problem), modernize the process of legal immigration (the sop for the Hispanic voter (but it's not much of one, honestly)).

Pretty bog standard for Republicans, really. And not really quotable.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - Rudy Giuliani

Well I suspect that most of the Republicans will have long and detailed ideas on how to deal with the "menace" of illegal immigration. Giuliani puts out his principles at the top.

"Real immigration reform must put security first because border security and homeland security are inseparable in the Terrorists' War on Us. The first responsibility of the federal government is to protect our citizens by controlling America's borders, while ending illegal immigration and identifying every non-citizen in our nation. We must restore integrity, accountability and the rule of law to our immigration system to regain the faith of the American people."

He supports building a wall between Mexico and the United States, favors a national I.D. (with biometrics, so it can't be faked), and Americanize immigrants - i.e. make them learn English. No mention of what to do for those illegals who are already here, although he is in favor of deporting any immigrant who commits a felony.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - Barack Obama

Well Obama doesn't make the same mistake Kucinich does - rather, he has a page on what he wants to do on Illegal Immigration. Looks very detailed. I supposed I'd better read it.

I know this sounds dismissive of Obama - I think he's a really good candidate with a lot of good ideas. But I spent the day reading these candidates positions and I'm tired and he's the last one (which is why I try to rotate around so I'm not always ending on the same person).

Anyway Obama seems to have a lot of the right ideas. He wants to strengthen border security while being compassionate to those who are already here. He doesn't want to break up families, but he does want to crack down on businesses that employ illegals. The quote at the top is a good summary.

"In approaching immigration reform, I believe that we must enact tough, practical reforms. . . . We need stronger enforcement on the border and at the workplace. . . . But for reform to work, we also must respond to what pulls people to America. . . . Where we can reunite families, we should. Where we can bring in more foreign-born workers with the skills our economy needs, we should. . . . The time to fix our broken immigration system is now. It is critical that as we embark on this enormous venture to update our immigration system, it is fully reflective of the powerful tradition of immigration in this country and fully reflective of our values and ideals."

This makes a lot of sense. And I think Obama is about as solid on this issue as anybody.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - Dennis Kucinich

This is weird. I am looking over Dennis Kucinich's site and I am having a hard time finding out his position on Illegal Immigration. I was particularly befuddled at his section on Race/Ethnicity Issues, in which he addresses African Americans, Native Americans, Arab Americans, and Irish Americans (?) but has nothing to say to Latino Americans. Anyway I'm off to look at Google.

Well the first hit is his assertion that you can't solve illegal immigration without solving NAFTA.

Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich told audiences in California and Oregon yesterday that the United States would not be able to resolve its economic and immigration issues until it resolves its trade policies, and he renewed his promise that his first act in office will be to cancel the United States’ participation in NAFTA and the WTO.

Well that's something at any rate. And most of the links here seem to refer back to this speech. I'm not sure that repealing NAFTA and ending our participation in the WTO is the panacea he thinks it is.

Really this is surprising to me - Kucinich is supposed to be a policy wonk, and really he normally is. I don't know why he would miss this issue.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - John Edwards

Well let's take a gander at Edwards - his Immigration policy is on a page intended for Latino Americans.

Our immigration system needs a fundamental overhaul. Our economy is harmed by an underground economy that features a large and unprotected labor force. And our values are violated by a system that keeps families apart and forces people to live in the shadows, vulnerable to abuse. The first step is to control our borders and stop illegal trafficking. At the same time, it is unrealistic to think that we can deport more than 12 million people. Edwards believes we need to give people here the opportunity to pay a fine and learn English to earn American citizenship.

Edwards will end the backlog of background checks for people who are already in this country and are applying to become lawful permanent residents and, eventually, citizens. Our immigration policies should bring families together, not keep them apart. Edwards believes family reunification is an important value that should be preserved in our immigration laws.

Well not bad, but lacking on detail. I'm not sure exactly you resolve the conflict between the need to preserve families and the need to enforce the laws, and I'm not sure Edwards knows either.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - Chris Dodd

Dodd doesn't have a page dedicated to Immigration, and it's hard to tease out his position on Immigration because his website allows comments and there are plenty who want to push him this way or that on Immigration. He does have a statement on the failure of the Comprehensive Immigration bill, earlier this year.

"I am gravely disappointed that comprehensive immigration reform has again been put off, and at the tenor with which the debate was conducted. The failure of this bill was in part due to the divisiveness that has been sewed into the American political fabric over the last six years. We need to restore leadership that can bring people together to get things done."

That is more about partisanship than immigration, I suppose.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - Mike Gravel

Mike Gravel's statement on Immigration is pretty bare bones, but at least he has one.

While Senator Gravel supports protecting our borders, he also advocates a guest worker program and naturalization procedures that fairly bring immigrants into legal status. He would also address the root cause of illegal immigration: NAFTA.

I don't know about that last line; but kicking NAFTA is very popular among populists in both parties.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - Joe Biden

Joe Biden doesn't have a section on Illegal Immigration. He did have this to say when the Comprehensive Immigration Plan broke down in June.

Our immigration system is broken and we have an obligation to work on it until we fix it. The immigration bill isn’t perfect, but it’s an important step forward. To be honest, there are many things I don’t like about it such as the temporary worker program and a green card system that overemphasizes wealth and devalues family ties. But we owe it to the people we serve to work through our differences and ultimately resolve this problem. That’s why I voted to keep working on the bill – this issue is too important to just quit on.

Fair enough, and it gives an idea of where he is on Illegal Immigration. But I think he's calculated that this isn't an issue he is going to win a lot of points on.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - Bill Richardson

Bill Richardson is, as you might expect, pretty strong on Illegal Immigration. He's Latino and he's the governor of a border state. So he's coming at this with a little experience.

As the Governor of a border state I deal with the effects of immigration, legal and illegal, every day. The federal government has not done enough to solve the problem. In 2005 violent crime, drugs, and crime were out of control along New Mexico's border with Mexico. I took action, declaring a state of emergency along the border, making $1.75 million available to local law enforcement agencies to increase patrols and add personnel. As a result, arrests are up, crime is down, and the flow of undocumented immigrants has slowed. The New Mexico border town of Village of Columbus, for example, saw an 80 percent reduction in crime.

Building a fence will not increase security, just as attempting to deport 12 million illegal immigrants is not feasible or reasonable. I believe a realistic immigration reform plan must address the problem from all sides -- securing the border, penalizing employers for knowingly hiring illegal workers, offering a tough but reasonable path to legalization, engaging Mexico in the reform process, and improving our current immigration quota system.

I'd like to be snarky hear, but really this is the right tone to take. We need to approach this problem sensibly, without pie in the sky promises about magical fences that will keep everybody out. And this sounds like a good, balanced approach.

Of course it's not going to play in Republicanland, but we'll get to their proposals in due course.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - Hillary Clinton

After doing a subject last week that was strong for Dems and weak for Republicans, let's switch it around this week. Illegal Immigration is a complex issue, but it's clear that Republican's call for tougher immigration laws and fences is resonating with the American people a bit. Plus it will be good to give Tom Tancredo his moment in the sun.

Hillary Clinton's plan seems somewhat akin to the comprehensive Immigration bill that failed to pass last year.

Hillary has consistently called for comprehensive immigration reform that respects our immigrant heritage and honors the rule of law. She believes comprehensive reform must have as essential ingredients a strengthening of our borders, greater cross-cooperation with our neighbors, strict but fair enforcement of our laws, federal assistance to our state and local governments, strict penalties for those who exploit undocumented workers, and a path to earned legal status for those who are here, working hard, paying taxes, respecting the law, and willing to meet a high bar.

Sounds pretty balanced; with a good combination of, well, respecting both reality and the rule of law.