Excerpts from Schwarzenegger press conference as governor-elect (DefactoAmnesty? On Day 1?)

SF Gate ^ | Oct 8, 2003 | AP

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

"There's a bill that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has introduced that I think is terrific. It gives temporary working permits to immigrants so they can come in and out of this country, out of this state, and also, you know, there's another idea. Undocumented immigrants who come here before August 2003 can apply for visas especially if they don't have a criminal background. And if they have a job right now, they can apply for that visa. So there are different programs I want to push in that direction to help undocumented immigrants."

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

The only thing which surprises me is the speed at which this is all coming.

[tophat9000]

I have made a commitment to myself to no comment on Arnold for 6 month in the open form....so around March ...will talk ........ Ohm....Ohm.....Ohm

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

The people who voted for Arnold got exactly what was advertised. He is a liberal. Live with it.

[tophat9000]

no=not

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

Yeah, I was feeling the same way, this story perked up my ears though.

Honeymoon's over tophat!

[TomasUSMC]

one word deportation

Thats something Arnold will never mention, except to say it isn't an option.

Wait till the convention in New York. The RINOs will be offering more visas than health clinics offer condoms. And they will be doing that at the site of the WTC attacks.

But what is better, really, to be able to win big states like New York and California and win a huge electoral college and popular vote victory, or continue to scrape by because we hold these old religious beliefs to be sacred.

Will those who uphold the stand on ProLife, AntiGay, ProGun, Anti Illegal Immigrant be told to shut up?

[Sabertooth]

I posted this on September 24th.

• Deportation is not an option. We need to find a way to legitimize these individuals and get them on a path toward legal residency status in the United States.
• Let me be clear: I do not support an amnesty program. The last time we tried that in the late 80s it didn't work, and there's little reason to think it would work now.

• I am encouraged by the approach laid out by Senator McCain to provide a clear path for legitimizing undocumented immigrants who currently live their lives in the shadows. McCain's bill S 1461 - The Border Security and Immigration Act of 2003
  • A new H-4A visa for immigrants seeking temporary employment with important protections to ensure that immigrant workers are not exploited and that Californians are not displaced by unscrupulous employers;

  • A new H-4B visa for undocumented immigrants who entered the country before August 2003, have held a job since that time, and do not have a criminal record.

  • The opportunity for holders of these new visas to gain legal permanent residency status.

• " Senator McCain's plan contains the key principles that should guide any proposal to solve the immigration impasse:

Schwarzenegger is acting from both sides of his mouth.

You can't support legalizing Illegal Aliens, and honestly say "I do not support an amnesty program."

Other quotes from Schwarzenegger...

"Proposition 187 has been resolved by the courts. It is time to move on. More than 2.3 million undocumented immigrants currently live in California. They cannot continue to live underground. I will work with federal officials to address this problem."
Schwarzenegger campaign website - joinarnold.com


Said Proposition 187, the 1994 measure that denied many services to illegal immigrants, was "history" because it has been largely voided by the courts. He supported the proposition at the time voters approved it. "Now we have to move forward with the whole thingand to look at it, what we're going to do with all the people that are undocumented immigrants here in this state. What should we do? Should we have them to stay here, which I think is the right way to do, but how do you then include them in our society, how do you make it official, how do you make it legal?" he said. He added he would try to team up with other states with large immigrant populations and lobby the federal government to address the issue.
Associated Press - August 27th, 2003

backpedaled
Schwarzenegger, who legally immigrated to this country from Austria in 1968, opposed issuing driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants. But he didn't rule out public services or amnesty for those who come into the country illegally.

He said he would work with other states to pressure the federal government, which controls immigration, to "come up with a solution once and for all." He also said allowing undocumented immigrants to stay in the United States is "the right thing to do."
Sacramento Bee – August 28th, 2003

Schwarzenegger criticized Davis for signing a bill granting driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, saying, "We're leaving ourselves wide open to terrorism." And he repeated his support for a guest-worker visa program -- "then they can (get) driver's licenses hooked together with insurance."
Sacramento Bee - September 9th, 2003


Schwarzenegger said he opposed the bill because it would "bring danger to our state" because it doesn't require background checks of illegal immigrants.

He did, however, say he supported proposed federal legislation that would help those in the United States illegally become legal residents more quickly.
Sacramento Bee - September 17th, 2003

Since Arnold Schwarzenegger supports legalizing Illegal Aliens and then giving them drivers' licenses, how meaningful are his promises to support the overturning of SB60?

Why won't Schwarzenegger immediately support the referendum to overturn Illegal Alien drivers' licenses, in time to place the on the ballot for the March 2004 California Primary?

What do you suppose Karl Rove is thinking about such a referendum?

[TomasUSMC]

Unless someone is delusional, they know the federal government is never going to deter 4 million illegals by offering them visas when they get here. It will only encourage more Illegal Immigrant Invadors.
They will have no excuses for not sneeking in.

[tophat9000]

Honeymoon's over tophat!

Yea... and we all know what get done on a Honeymoon... hey sailor! ..I anint your fricker bride!

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

I'm gonna be ill.

[Amerigomag]

I have made a commitment to myself to no comment on Arnold for 6 month in the open form

Here's mine. I'll follow the Democrat's lead. The jury is out on Schwarzenegger's fiscal policies for 100 days but his social side became fair game the minute he announced for governor and that hasn't changed.

The problem for Schwarzenegger is that the fiscal side is tied inextricably to immigration. About 1/3 of the current budget (most of it in education) is tied directly to supporting the consequences of unregulated immigration since 1950.

[pogo101]

Is this what the people of California wanted?

Hard to say, but my guess is, approximately. It's somewhere between the Dems' doing lots of things to lighten the burdens of illegality on the one hand, and the "throw 'em out" approach.

[dennisw]

If he follows through with this, and that's a big if, then Arnold will be the stalking horse for GWBush amnesties and guest worker programs. Test it first in California

Immigration enforcement is a disgrace now and will be a disgrace if a guest worker program is set up. Guest worker program will abused to a fare thee well and few will be punished. Same as it is now.

[dennisw]

The problems exists. Unless you are delusional, you know the federal government is never going to deport 4 million illegals.

Actually it's 8-13 million illegal aliens

I think this is a very good practical program to document these people and get them on the books. 

All guest worker programs suck because they will not be enforced. INS does not enforce on illegal immigration now, partly due to lack of manpower. What makes you think the guest worker laws will be enforced against the poor widdle Mexicans and Central Americans? I can't wait until the phony, forged guest worker papers are available on the streets of LA.

It also cuts off at the knees the illegals and thier supporters. They will have no excuses for sneeking in.

In your dreams. The laws will not be enforced.

[calcowgirl]

The people who voted for Arnold got exactly what was advertised.
He is a liberal. Live with it.

False Advertising

[Az Joe]

What he is will only be seen in retrospect. I imagine that he will try and govern in a very practical way taking well into account the environment that he exists in.

He is a BIG improvement, so far, over Davis IMHO.

[tophat9000]

Bottom line... it’s a waste of bandwidth right now (and many here seem to have a two bit pipe for download) .... let the dawn come

[Saundra Duffy]

I call Willie Brown, "Bill Clinton's shoe shiner." If the shoe fits. And Willie Brown is going to be on Schwarzenegger's transition team. Unbelievable. (I tried to warn you guys.)

[calcowgirl]

I posted this on September 24th.

FYI... "The requested document does not exist on this server."

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

Well, I'm not saying this guy didn't win and that the war is over, we lost. But when these things come out, and we know about them, and we don't comment--then we are more guilt than the Groupies who honestly believe in that guy.

let the dawn come

I understand your cynicism, I feel cynical too about the whole recall, the Republican party, but I can promise you this; the "dawn" is coming sooner than you think, there shall not be "6 months" of stealth darkness coming out of this camp, bank on it.