I think every other state on the border should emulate what Arizona has done," she said on FOX News Wednesday night. "Jan Brewer, the governor of Arizona, has taken upon herself, her state government, to do what the feds should have been doing all along and say, 'No, we're going to secure this border.'
"From there, then, once that is taken care of, we can deal with those who are here illegally and we can figure out all that immigration reform that needs to take place. Yes, other states should do what Arizona is doing," she said.
She posted on her Facebook page Tuesday about immigration for the second time in a week.
"Arizonans have the courage to do what the Obama administration has failed to do in its first year and a half in office, namely secure our border and enforce our federal laws," she wrote. "And as a result, Arizonans have been subjected to a campaign of baseless accusations by the same people who freely admit they haven't a clue about what they're actually campaigning against."
A Palin spokesperson declined to comment for this story.
The former Alaska governor sparked controversy Saturday with her comments at a campaign event for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer.
"Now this state has enacted a law -- it mirrors the federal law -- which allows police to ask those they otherwise have stopped to provide a driver's license or other verification of legal presence. I think for most American people the reaction to this would be, 'Why haven't the police already been doing that?'" Palin asked the crowd.
She encouraged the Highland Park High School girls basketball team the week before to "go rogue" after school administrators canceled its participation in an Arizona tournament, citing safety concerns and the state's new immigration law.
She later posted on Facebook: "These boycotts of Arizona will not help the state or lead to positive change. Economic and political boycotts of our nation's 48th state will hurt all Arizonans, including all members of the Hispanic community."
Palin's back-to-back flurry of comments marked her public entry into an issue that had not previously been a prominent part of her conservative mix of issues, which included energy, fiscal conservatism and small government.
"She had actually been fairly positive about immigration reform as a vice presidential candidate," said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voices, a liberal-leaning immigration reform group that immediately criticized Palin.
"When she decided to embrace the Arizona show-me-your-papers law, we thought it justified criticizing her for embracing a law that institutionalized racial and ethnic discrimination," Sharry said.
A Palin Change of Heart?
As a vice-presidential candidate, Palin told Spanish-language television network Univision during an interview Oct. 26, 2008, "There is no way that in the U.S. we would roundup every illegal immigrant ... there are about 12 million of the illegal immigrants. ... Not only economically is that just an impossibility but that's not a humane way anyway to deal with the issue."
Her GOP presidential running mate, Sen. John McCain, had taken a similar stance, arguing for a comprehensive immigration plan, a multi-faceted approach that includes border patrol, a crackdown on illegal hiring, legalizing immigrants already in the United States and creating a more flexible immigration system. The Arizona law and its more stringent provisions were not part of the national debate at the time.
But Palin came out last Saturday in clear support of Arizona's new law, which would be the most robust in the nation in terms of targeting people suspected of being illegal immigrants. The law is set to take effect July 29, barring any successful legal challenges.
Sharry said Palin's comments risk alienating Latino voters, the fastest-growing group of voters, from the Republican Party. Latino voter registration grew 54 percent and turnout grew 64 percent from 2000 to 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
And of course, here's Jimmy Ricks' reply:
"I fully recognize and support a state's right and obligation to protect its citizens, but I have concerns with portions of the law passed in Arizona and believe it would not be the right direction for Texas," Perry said in a written statement. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/29/texas-governor-arizona-immigration-law-right-texas/#ixzz1V3lmpzvy
But wait, there's more:
PALIN: May 23rd, 2011:
PALIN: The immigrants of the past, they had to literally and figuratively stand in line and follow rules to become U.S. citizens. I’d like to see that continue. And unfortunately, the DREAM Act kind of usurps that-the system that is a legal system to make sure that immigrants who want to be here legally, working hard, producing and supplying revenue and resources for their families, that they’re able to do that right and legally. Unfortunately, the DREAM Act doesn’t accomplish that.
And what did Perry do for illegals in Texas???
Rick Perry Stands By Texas DREAM Act The potential 2012 candidate signed legislation in 2001 allowing some illegal immigrants to pay in-state college tuition.In sharp contrast to the national Republican Party line, Texas Gov. Rick Perry still supports his state's version of the so-called DREAM Act, which permits foreign-born children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state college tuition. "To punish these young Texans for their parents' actions is not what America has always been about," the potential dark horse GOP candidate told the New Hampshire Union Leader in his first New Hampshire interview of the 2012 campaign cycle.
Yeah, let's reward illegal activity!
And finally, amnesty:
O'Reilly: So you're President of the United States - Sarah Palin. You send how many National Guards to the border right away to secure it?
Palin: However many you need - this is the top priority. This is a national security issue..
O'Reilly: (interrupts) Alright, but I'm talking Texas, California, New Mexico, all of 'em. So, you send maybe ten , fifteen thousand national guards down there to assist the border control. Yes?
Palin: Whatever it takes, whatever it takes.
O'Reilly: Alright, so you militarize the border, ah, you, you finish the fence. Finish building the fence from Brownsville to San Diego. Yes?
Palin: Yep.
O'Reilly: Now we have twelve million people staring at you. And you say to those people, you're in here illegally, you broke civil law - by coming in here. Um, now are you going to deport them? What are you going to do?
Palin: Well, again, we, first let me go back to the importance of securing the border. If we start talking about amnesty before...
O Reilly (interrupts) No, no, well, we got that, we got that, Governor. Everybody...All Factor people watching this
Palin: (interrupts) No, we don't.
O Reilly (interrupts) Yeah, the people watching this program have it. We have it. We assume that you - as president - would secure the border. I've confidence you would do that. But now you have to look into it. Alright and you've got 12 million people staring at you. What are you going to have them do?
Palin: You're not going to give them a free pass.You're not going to say - ok - you and, ah, anybody else who wants to scree across this porous border between now and when we do finally get it fenced in and physically secure - we're going to give you a free pass. And just because you've broken laws in the past know we can trust you...
O Reilly: (interrupts) Alright , no amnesty.
Palin: No - no amnesty - which means
O Reilly: (interrupts) But what do you do with these folks? Do you make them register with the federal government? Do you tell them they have sixty days to get outta here before we put you in jail? What do we do with them?
Palin: Do we make them register with the Federal government? Yes, we do. We have to
O Reilly. (interrupts) Yes, so we know who they, where they are...
Palin: Yes, exactly. So in answer to that question, absolutely. We 're not giving them a free pass. We're not going to reward the bad behavior.
O Reilly: (interrupts) Alright, So you don't reward the bad behavior. You make them register with the federal government. Say you give them sixty days to register with the fed gov., there's a form at the Post Office they have to send like a census form, alright. Say they don't do it? Alright.
Palin: You deport them.
O Reilly: (interrupts) Ok so After a period of time, the ones that don't cooperate then you catch them, they're gone. Now you have these people that register. You are going to have millions of them. Then they register and they say - ok we obeyed what President Palin told us to do -then what? - do you give them green cards to work right away, what do you do with them?
Palin: You know there has to be that expectation that they will work and that they will contribute. Bill, It makes me uncomfortable that we're even going down that path so far when ...
O Reilly: (interrupts)You have to though.
Palin: No, no
O Reilly: (interrupts) You have to go down that path, it's gonna come up.
Palin: No. American citizens who are - who are here lawfully - they need to be the ones with the first shot at getting these jobs. We cannot make it easy on those who have chosen to be illegal - illegally here, to disobey our laws. No!
O Reilly: No, we can't make it easy, but they're here and we can't starve them to death. And If they can't work, if they don't have a green card to work, ah, they're gonna be hosed. I mean they gotta pay rent, they gotta buy groceries, this, that and the other thing. I mean this is where it gets very complicated, Governor. You know it gets very, very complicated - because you are rewarding bad behavior. You let them stay in the United States because they came in illegally.
Palin: Then let's keep it, then, then we won't complicate it any more. Let's keep it simple. And let's say no that if you are here illegally, if you don't follow the steps that at some point in immigration reform that we are going to be able to provide that will allow you somehow to be able to work - if you are not going to do that, then you will be deported. You will be gone.
O Reilly: (interrupts) Ok, we've established that. We've established that though.
Palin: Let's look at case history, let's look at case history. Let's look at what political hero, Ronald Reagan tried to do with three million illegals all those years ago.
O Reilly: (interrupts) He botched it though governor. Reagan botched it. He botched it.
Palin: Exactly, that's what I'm saying. So that's what I'm saying, so we learn from history. We won't do what, what he did in that respect in that round.
O Reilly: No but you're gonna have to - whoever the next president is, is going to have to deal with 12 million people and that is going to be very, very difficult.