Posted on 11/13/2007 12:46:59 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
INDIANOLA, Iowa -- At a campaign event Monday, Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson rejected the idea of allowing illegal immigrants to earn U.S. citizenship through military service.
Anna Castaner, an Indianola resident, posed the question to Thompson during an event inside a coffee shop.
Thompson drew applause from the crowd when he said he wouldn't support it.
"They need to go back and abide by the law," Thompson said.
The former U.S. senator from Tennessee said the country could have "enforcement by attrition."
He called for securing the American border and stopping so-called sanctuary cities from blocking the enforcement of immigration laws.
He said employers knowingly hiring illegal immigrants also should be stopped.
"After a little while, we're going to start seeing movement in the right direction. This problem wasn't created overnight and won't be solved overnight," he said.
Thompson voiced support for a proposal by U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, that would prohibit employers from deducting payroll taxes for illegal immigrants they knowingly employ.
Thompson said the country shouldn't accommodate illegal immigrants, and that people who are here illegally shouldn't set the terms or bargain for the circumstances under which they are allowed to stay.
"And until we convince the American people that we're going to enforce our own laws, and enforce our own borders, none of this other stuff is going to fly because it's counter-intuitive to the way we do things here in this country," Thompson said.
Castaner, the woman who asked the question, likes Thompson in the GOP caucus race as well as Rudy Giuliani, whom she describes as more open-minded.
She said she thinks Giuliani's moderate positions are more in tune with the rest of the country.
"That's why he's more popular," Castaner said.
Obviously Castaner doesn't know about the avalanche of calls and letters that members of congress received to make sure that amnesty legislation was defeated. Or she believes that she can create her own propaganda instead of reporting on the issue.
Securing the borders of our country is a high priority issue in this election, and fools like Castaner are perpetuating a feeling of helplessness, that border security is not possible.
Soon our candidates will have to start being quite heavy handed with such bleating reporters.
Anyone who honorably serves this country in the military and is honorably discharged should be eligible for citizenship. Otherwise, don’t let illegals join the military. There are two ways of looking at it. The military is either breaking the law by hiring illegals or it serves as a means of providing them legal status. Which is it going to be? Having asked that, I still support Fred as opposed to the moderate one.
When push comes to shove, she’ll vote for Hillary in the Fall, IMO.
Where do you get the idea that the military is enlisting illegals?
I disagree that moderation can’t work. Attrition seems the best way to circumvent the left by appealing to a majority of Americans. Then, as we offer citizenship to those interested, we can say that now since we gave you a choice, then you have to leave. Offering citizenship will get some out of the shadows, which is a better place than the government makes it out to be, and the rest who stay there can be dealt with in a more aggressive manner since they didn’t accept the alternative. We should increase ICE’s budget and build more federal prisons to house illegal felons and gang members. We have to seal the border by backing up the border patrol and finishing the fence. Along with this it will be imperative that English is made our official language. To make this easier, English should be made the official language of our government. Denying welfare benefits to illegals can offer an incentive to become citizens. We can cut off funding to sanctuary cities. This is all attrition and it will work.
I absolutely reject the concept of illegals being permitted the honor of joining our military.
I don't care about the circumstances. They need to be deported upon identification as an illegal alien.
What I do approve of is legal guests and visitors who enter legally and then decide that service is an ideal means to pursue permanent citizenship.
But breaking the law initially and then using the military as an "out" for the consequences, I can't agree with.
We can do much, much better for the quality of peers we send to serve with our sons and daughters.
If it isn’t, Thompson’s point is moot, and to answer your question, I don’t know what the military’s policy is. I’m merely responding to Thompson’s reasoning. Should the military ever start enlisting illegals, it should be a means of achieving legal status. How’s that?
Noooo...... that’s NOT all. That’s just all that this short newspaper article mentioned in its brief synopsis of Thompson’s comments.
Fred’s comprehensive (and tough) immigration policy has been published repeatedly lately and is widely available.
I believe the military allows legal immigrants to join the military and then I think they give them so many years ( I think about 5) and then they have the opportunity to apply ahead of the line so to speak. I think that’s the way it use to be.
>>Offering citizenship will get some out of the shadows<<
That is the amnesty mantra, and hearing it gets annoying to most of us on FR.
>>This is all attrition and it will work.<<
The “out of the shadows” mantra is not attrition, and that would convince any person in the world who wants to migrate here that there will always be another amnesty if they sneak in and wait long enough.
You are correct. The military does enlist illegals and after so many years they are eligible for citizenship.
To say thank you to Senator & Mrs. Thompson and family, for their sacrifices now and in the future....
WE'RE GOING TO SEND THEM A THANKSGIVING DAY GIFT!
It happens...
According to the law, Illegals are still citizens of their parent country, unless they have a record of being caught, or comiting a crime. All the illegal would have to do is lie on their application stating that they never crossed into US territory.
“Rudy Giuliani, whom she describes as more open-minded.”
Open-minded, codeword for Liberal
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.