Tancredo Welcomes Bilbray to the Immigration Reform Caucus

tancredo.house.gov ^ | June 7, 2006 | Will Adams

[NapkinUser]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Chairman of the House Immigration Reform Caucus, welcomed Representative-Elect Brian Bilbray (R-CA) to the IRC as its 98th member. Bilbray won a special election yesterday in California’s 50th district, spanning San Diego’s northern suburbs.

“Brian has long been a strong advocate of secure borders and tough enforcement of immigration laws. As a former Member and a spokesperson for a non-profit reform group, Brian has worked with me on immigration and I know he’ll be a tremendous asset to my party as we try to block the Senate’s amnesty pact,” said Tancredo.

Bilbray ran primarily on border security. During the campaign, he promised to fight against amnesty for illegal aliens while adding personnel and infrastructure to the border. His opponent endorsed the McCain-Kennedy bill which gives blanket amnesty to illegal aliens, includes only token border security, and has a guest worker plan that ratchets up over several years.

“San Diegans sent a message loud and clear to beltway backers of amnesty: you don’t represent us. Brian had to weather a perfect storm—a sour national mood towards Republicans, and a district that is the perfect testing ground for the Democrats so-called ‘culture of corruption’ message. But a tough stand on immigration carried the day,” said Tancredo.

[NormsRevenge]

Oh boy.

An old adage comes to mind.

Politics makes for strange bedfellows.

[Mo1]

Didn't the 3rd party run someone against Bilbray ?

[Spiff]

This election was somewhat of a referendum on support for the President and the Democrat's amnesty scheme. Not only did the candidate who campaigned on a platform opposed to amnesty win the election, despite the damage the corrupt previous officeholder did, but one of the candidate's first actions upon being elected was to join Tom Tancredo's Immigration Reform Caucus. Washington needs to PAY ATTENTION to what is going on here.

[conservativecorner]

Great points BUMP!

[CWOJackson]

"Didn't the 3rd party run someone against Bilbray ?"

You must mean the guy who was endorsed by the minutemen.

It's starting to get funny. You've got one faction of the borders people backing him, one faction backing his opponent...then the winning side claiming it's a victory for the borders issue.

[MikeA]

Disrespect of the president is unbecoming when it comes from the Swamp Fever Democrats, and no less so when coming from conservatives who can't disagree with the president without being disagreeable. Those who have become infused with hate and anger at Bush over immigration while forgetting all the other things he's given conservatives, tax cuts, conservative Supreme Court justices, conservative federal judges, 2 conservative attorney generals, conservative Josh Bolton at the UN, a ban on PBAs, a strong defense that doesn't kowtow to the UN or France, a booming economy, etc. are no less contemptable than those on the left who similarly hate Bush over a single issue, Iraq.

[Soul Seeker]

Oh, I think they've paid attention but they've dismissed it either as a minority position or something that can be overcome by sponsering votes on gay marriage.

Neither is true, and this election was probably the first time some of the set advocating amnesty had an inkling of doubt they've chosen the right position.

Good move by Bilbray, making one of his first priorities to join Tancredo's team and send a signal to his constituents and Washington that he is going to follow through on his promises re: the border.

Better move would be for Hastert to name him on the Reconcilation Committee.

[NapkinUser]

"Politics makes for strange bedfellows."

I don't quite get this?

Didn't Bilbray run on a strong opposition to illegal immigration and support a wall along the entire US-Mexico border? He seems just like Tancredo.

[cripplecreek]

Don't worry, the GOP still has their tiny little minority of yes men telling them that immigration doesn't matter. I've already seen one pundit declaring the border issue "gone" due to Zarqawis killing.

Hmmmm tomorrow Zarqawi will still be dead and illegals will still be flowing across the border. I think border control isn't as "gone" as some would like to believe.

[Dead Corpse]

Pay attention and WIN, or ignore us and LOSE.

Should be simple calculus, but apparently... not many in Congress are doing the Math.

[gubamyster]

ping

[ZULU]

The left hates Bush for a whole multiplicity of reasons, not merely Iraq. If Bush didn't do ANYTHING but get elected, they would hate him.

Bush HAS given us good appointees to the Supreme Court (although one - Alito was secured under duress), he has given us tax cuts, conservative Federal Judges, ONE conservative Attorney General (Gonzales is anti-gun, pro-illegal alien, pro-abortion, and pro-affirmative action),
has given us Joe Bolton, and a booming economy. He has prevented any attack on American soil by terrorists.

But WHAT good, really, is all that if we can kill enemies of our country in the Middle East, but the President REFUSES to enforce existing laws to STOP the flow of illegals into America from Mexico? We are loosing our identity as a society due to such a massive of influx of foreign invaders who are not being assimilated as the waves of previous legal immigrants were. Further, a great many of them have no desire to be so assimilated and consider themselves nationals of foreign powers resident in an enemy country only for a paycheck.

Are the laws a Chinese menu? Does the President get to select which ones he will enforce?

Not in a Republic.

People who feel you have to march lockstep with the President on every issue have no concept of Democracy, just as those who oppose war efforts for purely political reasons have no patriotism.

[NapkinUser]

"2 conservative attorney generals..."

I liked John Ashcroft, not Alberto "MECHA" Gonzales.

"doesn't kowtow to the UN"

See: Law Of the Sea Treaty (LOST).

[ZULU]

And I'm sixty years old and have been a conservative all my life.

I'm a Conservative who is a Republican becasue the Repuublicans are the most conservative successful party around. I'm not conservative because I'm a Republican.

[NapkinUser]

"Washington might, but Jorge el Segundo won't."

Might be going a little too far.

"I've already seen one pundit declaring the border issue "gone" due to Zarqawis killing."

For real? Who?

[janetgreen]

Not only did the candidate who campaigned on a platform opposed to amnesty win the election, despite the damage the corrupt previous officeholder did, but one of the candidate's first actions upon being elected was to join Tom Tancredo's Immigration Reform Caucus.

This was great news! California needs more representatives like Bilbray, because we're FED UP!! Voters weren't voting for the party, they voted on Bilbray's stance against illegal immigration.

[george wythe]

Why do the media journos keep referring to Bilbray as a moderate Republican?

I think Bilbray's right on the immigration issue. I hope he gets reelected with a 70% margin in November.

[dalereed]

"He seems just like Tancredo"

Other than illegal immigration, he's a RINO.

That's why the SD Minutemen endorsed a true conservative. They didn't expect to upset Bilbray but send him a message.