Political Positions of Herman Cain

In terms of handling immigration issues, Cain said he would, first and foremost, secure the U.S. border with Mexico.

“I don’t buy this malarkey that we can’t secure the border,” Cain told TheDC. “I don’t buy this malarkey that we don’t want to offend our southern neighbors. Neither this administration nor the previous administration got serious about securing the border. I don’t know why the previous administration didn’t get serious about securing the border but they didn’t.”

Secondly, Cain said he’d enforce the laws on the books and provide the resources Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials need to secure the border.

“Enforce the laws that are already on the books,” Cain said. “That means providing the resources to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, although I think it’s misnamed – they don’t do a lot of enforcement. Give them the resources they need to do their jobs.”

Cain said he thinks the term “comprehensive immigration reform” is an “oxymoron,” and wouldn’t push for changing the immigration process.

“For those people that want to become legal citizens in this country, promote the current citizenship process,” Cain said. “It’s not that difficult. It’s democratic, it’s cumbersome, it might be confusing to some people, but if you go look it up, you’ll see: the steps are not that complicated. What makes it complicated is the bureaucracy that we have surrounding it.”

MRN: If elected, how would a Cain administration deal with border security and illegal immigration?

HC: First things first: the term “comprehensive immigration reform” tossed around by liberals is simply code for “do nothing” which becomes amnesty.

There are 3 steps to solving our illegal immigration problem: securing the border (we put a man on the moon, so this isn’t that hard!); enforce the laws; promote the existing path to citizenship.

America is an exceptional nation. We are also a prosperous nation because of our liberties and our free market system. That’s why people from all over the world want to come to America to create better lives for themselves and their families, because we are truly the land of opportunity. Americans have embraced their role as the world’s premier “melting pot,” welcoming immigrants from every corner of the planet. We readily learn about other cultures, customs and beliefs. We appreciate those who are willing to come to this country and make America a more vibrant and enriched place.

Americans do resent, however, the willingness of some to circumvent our laws and enter our nation illegally. While many, if not most, illegal immigrants are peaceful people simply seeking to provide for their families, some are not. In fact, some are quite dangerous, jeopardizing the safety and well-being of American citizens.

Illegal immigration has only exacerbated illegal activity, such as the horrendous crimes of drug smuggling and human trafficking. Illegal immigrants who are repeat offenders are harder to track, making it difficult for law enforcement to prevent crime. Further, weak borders have caused a compounding problem of terrorists assimilating with illegal immigrants, crossing the border with them and entering the U.S.

Illegal immigration also puts a tremendous strain on America’s entitlement and health care systems. Illegal immigrants are typically uninsured and cannot afford to pay for their medical care, driving up costs for all Americans, even those actually insured. In fact, several hospitals in the U.S. have declared bankruptcy as a result of the costs of caring for illegal immigrants.

We must secure our borders, enforce our laws and promote the existing path to citizenship. Protecting our nation’s sovereignty should be a paramount concern of those elected to lead us, not an afterthought or a reaction once the problem becomes even worse. Further, taking a stand on the issue does not mean one lacks compassion, but instead, that one respects the rule of law and the importance of not becoming a lawless nation.

Where did that come from? Next you’ll be saying the sun is blue and the sky is green—your statment has no relation to reality.

Cain has never supported amnesty, and there’s nothing in his statement to indicate that he does.

The current “path to citizenship” Cain refers to is:

(1) come here LEGALLY
(2) apply for citizenship
(3) fulfill the current requirements
(4) become a citizen

Currently, there is NO path to citizenship for ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS—none, nada, zero. That’s why the left is always crying that we need to create one for illegals, because there isn’t one now.

That’s why Cain’s call to follow the current path to citizenship is NOT A CALL FOR AMNESTY; the current path to citizenship requires that you first come to the USA legally before you can start down the path.

I'm sorry for looking at context: "There are 3 steps to solving our illegal immigration problem: securing the border (we put a man on the moon, so this isn’t that hard!); enforce the laws; promote the existing path to citizenship. "

How else is a reasonable person to read this if not regarding illegal immigrants? Cain wasn't speaking about legal aliens.

http://www.numbersusa.com/content/action/2012-presidential-hopefuls-immigration-stances.html

...promote the existing path to citizenship. "

How else is a reasonable person to read this if not regarding illegal immigrants? Cain wasn't speaking about legal aliens.

There is no existing path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, so he could only be referring to people that have come here legally.

Disagree? Then produce the citizenship application for someone here illegally. Every govt. document is online, it shouldn't be hard to find if it exists.

It doesn't exist. Here (fyi) is the 1st requirement for becomming a naturalized US citizen (the 1st step on the current path to citizenship:

"An applicant for naturalization must be admitted to the United States as a "lawful permanent resident" commonly referred to as one who possesses "green card" status. There is only one exception to this requirement: If an applicant has served in the U.S. armed forces during war, that person may be naturalized without first becoming a permanent resident if they were in the U.S. upon induction or enlistment into our military."

There is no other current path to citizenship. That's it. And that is what Cain was referring to.

The more I see of Herman Cain, the better I like him as a presidential contender. I am sincerely hoping that Sarah Palin also runs.

This country NEEDS a conservative president to survive. Time is getting short.

The numbers of illegal immigrants given on this forum posts is 30 million. How are these figures arrived at? I am a social and fiscal conservative but have been very put off by the uninformed and misinformed position of many tea party types. This will be a significant issue with gaining the centrist vote, that ultimately will win an election.

Tea partiers seem to be living in a euphoric bubble unconcerned about how others see them. They should understand that the nut job image they have been associated with is not confined to liberals and RINOS. It is also the tag more reasonable people who are centrist are beginning to attach to them.

My most recent “disaster” with a tea partier was when I asked her about Glen Beck being a Mormon. This was before they were to go to DC for some meeting where Beck was to act in the role of some spiritual leader. She did not know he was Mormon! she was supposed to be a very committed “Christian.”

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.