Fred Thompson on the problems with cracking down on employers: We havent enforced the law, in terms of employers. For 20 years, weve not enforced the law, and thats a part of the problem. You cant enforce it all on the backs of the employers. People falsify information that they give employers and all that. Thats not a solution to the problem. (Fox News Hannity & Colmes, 4/3/06)
Fred Thompson on his skepticism of a brick-and-mortar border fence: FOXs ALAN COLMES: You dont put up a fence, either, do you? Is that bad neighbor policy, put a fence up? THOMPSON: If it would work. I mean, I dont know thats a technical problem. In this day and age, I would not think you would have to use bricks and mortar to get that job done. But we ought to do everything that we can to get it done to the extent that we can and then, as I say, I think people would be willing to take a look at the rest of the problem, what we do with the problem that we created. (Fox News Hannity & Colmes, 4/3/06)
Fred Thompson on enforcement first: We woke up one day after years of neglect and apparently discovered that we have somewhere between 12 million and 20 million illegal aliens in this country. So it became an impossible situation to deal with. I mean, theres really no good solution. So what do you do? You have to start over. Well, Im concerned about the next 12 million or 20 million. So thats why enforcement, and enforcement at the border, has to be primary. (Foxs Fox News Sunday, 3/11/07)
Fred Thompson on not rounding up illegal immigrants: You know, if you have the right kind of policies, and youre not encouraging people to come here and encouraging them to stay once theyre here, theyll go back, many of them, of their own volition, instead of having to, you know, load up moving vans and rounding people up. Thats not going to happen. (Foxs Fox News Sunday, 3/11/07)