WALLACE: You also favor comprehensive immigration reform. I want to...
THOMPSON: No, no, no, no.
WALLACE: Well, let me put up on the screen something that you said last year about illegals, and let's take a look at it. "You're going to have to, in some way, work out a deal where they can have some aspirations of citizenship but not make it so easy that it's unfair to the people waiting in line and abiding by the law."
Now, you said, "Look, it's just not realistic that we're going to round up 12 million people and ship them all out of the country."
THOMPSON: Well, that's true, as a general statement. 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, there's really no good solution. So what do you do? You have to start over. Well, I'm concerned about the next 12 million or 20 million. So that's why enforcement, and enforcement at the border, has to be primary. I think most people feel disillusioned after 1986 when we had this deal offered to them before, and now we're insisting that, you know, we solve the security problem first, and then we'll talk about what to do with regard to other things — certainly no amnesty or nothing blanket like that.
But figure out some way to make some differentiation between the kind of people that we have here.
You know, if you have the right kind of policies, and you're not encouraging people to come here and encouraging them to stay once they're here, they'll go back, many of them, of their own volition, instead of having to, you know, load up moving vans and rounding people up. That's not going to happen.
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Thompson says he's not for amnesty but admits he has no solution for dealing with the 12 million to 20 million law breakers in our country. He offers statements about vague policies, but no solution. He says very clearly that those who go back, under his presidency, will go back because they choose to.
Thompson's statements that Chris Wallace quoted to him are from 2006. This transcript is from March 2007 ... before the heat was really turned up. Read what he says for yourself, but based on what he has said and done in the past, my belief is that Thompson's solution is legalization of illegal aliens.
1. We have to secure the borders immediately..close them off, then we'll see what happens...He's not advocating any one solution..I think he feels that if we severely penalize employers..many will end up going home...
2. He accurately portrayed the disgust of the American people with the pack of lies that we were sold 20 years earlier, in the first bill..
I don't quite see how you therefore deduce that he favors a pathway to citizenship for illegals..
Please see #22...I’m having a very civilized and enjoyable discussion with SittinYonder, but I don’t know enough about Fred’s actual statements to convince him. Can you, or anyone help?..Thanks
we solve the security problem first, and then we'll talk about what to do with regard to other things — certainly no amnesty or nothing blanket like that.
You are being less than honest here...
I mean, there's really no good solution. So what do you do? You have to start over. Well, I'm concerned about the next 12 million or 20 million. So that's why enforcement, and enforcement at the border, has to be primary. I think most people feel disillusioned after 1986 when we had this deal offered to them before, and now we're insisting that, you know, we solve the security problem first, and then we'll talk about what to do with regard to other things — certainly no amnesty or nothing blanket like that.
Thompson says he’s not for amnesty but admits he has no solution for dealing with the 12 million to 20 million law breakers in our country. He offers statements about vague policies, but no solution.”
That’s because there *IS* no immediate solution.
It took years for us to build up to having 20 million illegal aliens amongst us, and will take years to dig out from that hole. Both amnesty and instant-deportation-for-all are non-viable ‘solutions’; the first is a surrender to the problem, the second is impossible due to fabric of laws we have and the impossibility of govt ability to be effective. It’s a conservative thing to recognize the limits of Govt action and power, so let’s recognize that it will take a while to work down the illegal immigrant population and clean up the mess.
So what do we do? Fred T. and w eall agree on a few elements.
1. Control the border
2. Fix immigration law in the workplace
3. Fix the deportation process so we can actually deport people.
4. Get US visit program up and running, track entries and exits.
” ...and then we’ll talk about what to do with regard to other things — certainly no amnesty or nothing blanket like that.”
... I’ve said the same myself during the immigration debate. There’s a door he’s leaving open to limited legalization but not to amnesty. IMHO, the drawing line is this: Whatever we do later on to ‘address’ the remaining people who are illegally here right now, the numbers should always be capped, and the program shouldn’t be designed to be for illegal immigrants only.
Based on what he said, it is apparent that you didn't listen. He said nothing about legalizing illegal aliens.