Posted on 04/23/2006 6:21:47 AM PDT by Carl/NewsMax
Responding to polls showing that a strong majority of Americans support building a wall across the U.S.-Mexican border, 2008 presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton announced Saturday that she backs a border wall plan that would be supplemented by a "smart fence."
"A physical structure is obviously important," Mrs. Clinton told the New York Daily News. "A wall in certain areas would be appropriate."
The News said she also supported deploying a high-tech "smart fence" that could spot people approaching from 200 or 300 yards. Clinton also said the deployment of surveillance drones and infrared cameras should also be considered.
A Time magazine poll released two weeks ago showed that 56 percent of Americans supported building a wall along the entire 2,000 mile U.S.-Mexican border - with only 40 percent opposed.
Still, most immigration reform plans currently being considered by Congress make no mention of a wall. Mrs. Clinton's previous proposals on illegal immigration, detailed extensively on her Senate web site, also ignored the issue.
The former first lady also said she welcomed tougher immigration enforcement against employers who hire illegal immigrants. She blasted a planned pro-illegal immigration work and school boycott set for May 1 as a bad idea.
Mrs. Clinton said she favored a carrot and stick approach - with a plan that would first seal the borders followed a year or two later by a legalization process for the 11 million illegal aliens already here.
The top Democrat told the News that she backs citizenship rather than amnesty for illegal immigrants, as long as it's "earned."
But her new get-tough rhetoric on the border wall angered illegal immigration advocates, who were under the impression she was in their corner.
"To see the senator from New York, which is clearly an immigrant state, take a position that harsh is not the real solution," Gouri Sadhwani, executive director of the New York Civic Participation Project and La Fuente, told the News.
"The flow of undocumented immigrants into our country will not be stopped by putting up a fence along the Mexican border," he added.
Clinton's repositioning on border enforcement moves her significantly to the right of President Bush on the issue - and places her in agreement with conservative 2008 presidential hopeful, Sen. George Allen, who came out for a partial border fence two weeks ago.
Despite her new tough tone, Clinton's record on illegal immigration has been inconsistent over the years.
In 2003, for instance, she proclaimed: "I am adamantly against illegal immigrants," saying the U.S. should consider implementing a national ID card to beef up border enforcement.
But in 2005 she voted against a Senate bill that would have expanded illegal immigration detention centers and funded the hiring of new border patrol agents.
Last month, Clinton condemned a House plan that racheted up penalties against illegals and included the construction of a border fence, saying it would "criminalize even Jesus himself."
Fine .. then present a Bill to the Senate and vote to build a wall
Good. Build it, then catapult her fat butt over it and be done with it. :)
I'd rather have illegals than She Who Should Not Be Named.
If Hitlery gets elected, they'll need the fences to keep us in.
Hey, this ain't necessarily a bad thing. It further damages her with her party's own hardliners, it surely won't help her chances with the other side, it shows how well the fence is polling, and it makes it more likely we'll get one. Smiles all around.
LOL the Leftists are going to hate her even more now - they already hate her for her war vote. LOL
Yeah, and she's also for balancing the federal budget, by more spending... And we need more honesty in the White House... more transparency... This culture of corruption is really awful. We need a Syd Blumenthal and James Carville and Harold Ickes back in charge.
LOL Reminds me of the Monty Python Movie. LOL
Gee thanks hillary why didn't we think of that?
LOL... now, that's funny!
Has she seen the handwriting on it?
Didn't Mrs. Clinton attend the illegal immigration rally on the Mall in DC and assure them that "they are the face of America and our future"??
Now she want to keep them out?
Pardon me if I'm confused by the "smartest woman in the world".
Can it really get worst with spending then what it is?
Good. Let's get started on the wall, then, by hiring the 'illegals' to help build it!
What we are seeing now is hillarious.
George Bush poll numbers 33% = raid on IFCO
Howard Dean supporting border security first.
Hillary wanting a wall or virtual fence.
I wonder what the actual poll numbers really are regarding illegal immigration and building a fence. Me thinks the numbers are higher than what we are seeing.
Shameless ideological whoremongering.
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