Thompson’s Plan to Fight Illegal Immigration

The Page-Time/CNN ^ | 10/23/2007 | Mark Halperin

[Neville72]

Thompson’s Plan to Fight Illegal Immigration

From Thompson campaign:

Thompson Announces Plan to Secure Border, Enforce Existing Immigration Laws

Senator Fred Thompson today unveiled a comprehensive border security and immigration enforcement proposal that would make America safer by increasing security at our nation’s borders, enforcing our country’s existing laws to reduce the incentive for illegal immigration and streamlining the legal immigration process.

“A country that cannot secure its borders will not remain a sovereign nation and you cannot have national security without border security,” said Thompson. “It’s not only necessary for any meaningful immigration reform, but border security plays a key role in both the interdiction of illegal drugs and in defending America against terrorist threats. Weak borders allow terrorists and smugglers, as well as millions of illegal aliens, easy entrance to the United States.”

[FlashBack]

FRed races to the front of the pack

Check the tagline people...I could use the FREEPER Vote!

[VRWCmember]

Do you think a Republican President can get it done with a Democrat controlled Congress?

Do you think a Republican President could get tax rate cuts passed in 1981 with a democrat controlled Congress whose Speaker and Senate Leader both gleefully announced that his budget proposals were "dead on arrival"?

[trisham]

Answers...Yes I intend to vote for the most CONSERVATIVE candidate and no it was a joke. Just my opinion. Am I allowed to have one here? I hope you arent gullible enough to vote for someone who says what you want to hear and isnt able to to their plan in action.

***************

Good grief, but you're a whiner.

[Tatze]

Thats basically what you are saying. Who cares what they say, they are just going to break the promise anyway.

Do you happen to have any evidence that Fred won’t act on this if elected? You seem to be rather sure he won’t.

[Long Island Pete]

You are talking 26 years ago. It was a different Democrat party, not as rabid as this one and not controlled by MoveOn and we had to climb out of the hole Jimmy Carter dug for us. Not buying your argument.

[Long Island Pete]

Do you happen to have any evidence that Fred won’t act on this if elected? You seem to be rather sure he won’t.

Never said he wont act. Just not too convinced it will get done.

[skeeter]

1. No Amnesty. Do not provide legal status to illegal aliens. Amnesty undermines U.S. law and policy, rewards bad behavior, and is unfair to the millions of immigrants who follow the law and are awaiting legal entry into the United States. In some cases, those law-abiding and aspiring immigrants have been waiting for several years.

How do you like Fred's plan, DC?

[VRWCmember]

Well if any of the GOP candidates can make a forceful enough argument to get it done, it is Fred. He sees the importance, has the ability to communicate it, and like Reagan has the ability to take it directly to the American people and bypass the MSM filters. He is also the most likely of the current slate of hopefuls to have the backbone to fight for it if it takes a fight with Congress to get it done. My opinion is that regardless of which party controls Congress in 2009, meaningful immigration reform that increases enforcement, improves border security, and maintains the rule of law regarding immigration policies (no amnesty to illegal aliens), is much more likely to be implemented under a Thompson administration than under any of the other candidates that have any kind of reasonable chance of winning either party’s nomination.

[captnorb]

You mean a new yorker!!!; the smartest in all the universe?

[Moose4]

I like it a lot. I’d like to see a firm commitment to once and for all end the “anchor baby” nonsense, but other than that, that’s a pretty solid common-sense set of proposals. Now, if Fred gets elected, we’ll have to see how much of that Congress will go along with, regardless of party. We’ve already seen that the Rats have no monopoly on placing illegal aliens over the welfare of the country...do they, Lindsay?

}:-)4

[captnorb]

Me thinks pete wants a rooty because after all he is from new yorrrkie.

[romanesq]

Share your sentiment. This is how you move the issue and the electorate.
And this will be good for the nation to have this discussion all the while the top Rat candidates try to outspend each other.

Someone knows exactly what they are doing. This is a winning issue without question.

Let Shrillary and Rats push their plan again leading into the election. I will love it.

[Pistolshot]

A surmountable obstacle with the proper use of the bully pulpit.

Exactly. Fred has already stated he would go directly to the American people on matters like this. When they know the facts and optioons, they will pressure the people sent to Washington to do the work FOR them, not the other way around.

[Tatze]

Why vote for anyone, if they are just going to do nothing because of a Dem Congress?

Everything they are telling you now won’t amount to anything if they can’t get it done. So why even bother?

[stephenjohnbanker]

BUMP

[The Pack Knight]

But Fred only offers vague generalities! </Hunterite>

I like it, though I do have a couple minor quibbles..

... Caps for any category of temporary work visa would be increased as appropriate, if it could be demonstrated that there are no Americans capable and willing to do the jobs.

We hear this last line a lot, but what does it really mean? Who does the demonstrating? Do they have to demonstrate that no American wants to do that kind of work, or just that there aren't enough? Or just that no American wants to do that sort of work at what employers are willing to pay?

It's just very vague, and sounds more like a slogan than an actual policy. Demonstrated economic need or benefit would be a much more practical test.

The other quibble is that doubling the size of the border guard will be useless unless we look at reforming how they're allowed to do their jobs. For instance, someone arrested making an unauthorized border crossing, citizen or not, ought not be afforded the same rights someone arrested walking down a city street is.

Also, and this is less a quibble than a suggestion, in increasing the capacity of detention facilities for illegals, we could do far worse than to take a page out of Sheriff Arpaio's book. Otherwise, it's bound to get awfully expensive.

Once again, those are minor issues, and the plan as a whole seems much more complete and/or workable than do the other candidates'.

[stephenjohnbanker]

“Once again, those are minor issues, and the plan as a whole seems much more complete and/or workable than do the other candidates’”

Thompson should concentrate on illegal immigration.....if he does, he will win!

[Rb ver. 2.0]

When Thompson announced his candidacy on the Leno Show, Jay asked him, “Why”?. Thompson responded, “There’s a lot of things I want to do for this country and some of those things only a President can do”.

[Types_with_Fist]

I like Fred’s proposals.

As do I. I'm one of the most fervent anti-illegal people there are, and this is refreshing -- someone, given more than a miniscule chance, talking like this. WHOO!

[Rb ver. 2.0]

You’re right. We should all just get out the KY, bend over and let Barney Frank, etc. have at us. Aw, hell, we’re all gonna die sometime so why not just kill ourselves now?