Posted on 11/13/2015 10:52:31 AM PST by jimbo123
Republican Presidential candidate Ben Carson told Arizonans that if elected president, he would seal the entire U.S.-Mexico border with a double-fenced wall within a year of taking office.
His statement came in response to a question asked during a live half-hour telephone town hall meeting:
"How practically and quickly can we get a wall that's effective?" one man asked, adding with great emphasis that "time is not on our side."
Carson paused for moment, as if considering the logistics of constructing a 2,000-mile wall, before answering:
"I think it can be done in a less than a year," he replied in his typical calm and steady manner.
The former neurosurgeon and GOP front-runner among Republican Arizonans provided no specifics - no information on how much such an operation would cost, much less how he would persuade Congress to approve and pay for it - except to say that it would be a big job creator.
So would beefing up Border Patrol presence, he mentioned no fewer than three times.
In response to another question about "illegal" immigrants, Carson said: "We can secure the border in less than a year, but along with doing that, we have to eliminate what I call 'the goodies' the benefits people can get if they're here illegally."
(Excerpt) Read more at phoenixnewtimes.com ...
As Cruz pointed out the border fence is all ready law of the land. No legitimate reason we don’t have the fence now.
Finally! A worthwhile use of my tax money.
In general, Carson is right about this.
Biggest issue is how to provide access to the Rio Grande to American ranchers who have property on the boarder.
If you ignore the envirofascists, that is doable.
Remember this is the same clown who in the first or second debate ridiculed the very concept of the wall, calling it impractical and too expensive.
No where near what he said a while back.
How did Carson get from let them all stay and make them citizens to build a wall? He’s clueless. He has realized Trump is right so now he’s going to do it.
I thought I recalled some contradiction by Dr. Ben. He could own up to the change and say “Just like the president, I have evolved on this issue”.
BEN CARSON ON IMMIGRATION
Carson in his books has staked out a hard line on immigration. Carson has called for both the border to be secured and strict interior enforcement measures. Carson has opposed illegal immigration and called for a system to ensure only legal immigrants are hired.
However, in more recent rhetoric Carson has championed a national guest-worker program as a way for immigrants to be granted citizenship and favored a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. In the late summer of 2015, Carson came out against rigorous enforcement of current deportation laws.
Carson has flip flopped on the proposed national guest-worker program; first, Carson said that illegals would have to return to their home country, but in July of 2015 Carson amended his proposal to allow for illegals to remain in country as guest workers as long as they pay taxes. This proposal is very similar to the failed Gang of 8 amnesty bill and until the border is secured incentivizes illegal immigration.
Additionally Carson directly slammed calls for enforcing deportation laws. Carson like all the other GOP candidates wants the border secure, but Carson’s support for creation of a new guest-worker program comprised of illegal immigrants is amnesty but by another name.
When asked about a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in 2013, Carson said: of course allow [illegal immigrants] to have a pathway to citizenship. That’s the only humane and reasonable thing to do. (Daily Caller)
In a June 2014 column, Carson blasted the President for creating a manufactured crisis on the southern border when he declared certain illegal immigrants would not be deported in 2012, calling the recent influx of unaccompanied illegal minors entering the U.S. a humanitarian crisis that appears to have been manufactured for political reasons (The Desert Sun)
Carson says that immigration reform should start by ending incentives for illegal immigrants, citing open borders, lax deportation enforcement, and easy access to education, health care, and welfare programs. (Ben Carson, America the Beautiful, 78-79)
Carson supports a national guest-worker program, similar to what Canada has: Quote: Noncitizens would have to apply for a guest-worker permit and have a guaranteed job awaiting them. Taxes would be paid at a rate commensurate with other U.S. workers, and special visas would allow for easy entry and egress across borders. Guest-worker status would be granted to individuals and not to groups.
In the same chapter, he goes on to make somewhat contradictory statements regarding the legal status of guest-worker applicants. Quote: People already here illegally could apply for guest-worker status from outside of the country, meaning they would have to leave first. They should in no way be rewarded for having broken our laws, but if they are wise, they would arrange with their employer before they leave to immediately offer them a legal job as soon as their application is received. When they return, they still would not be U.S. citizens, but they would be legal, and they would be paying taxes. Only jobs that are vacant as a result of a lack of interest by American citizens should be eligible for the guest-worker program. (Ben Carson, America the Beautiful, 78-79) (National Review)
In July, Carson update his comments on his proposed national guest worker program saying that current illegals in the country would not have to leave but rather remain in country and register as guest workers and pay taxes. A provision very similar to the failed Gang of 8 legislation. Quote: What I would do is allow them to become guest workers. If they register, and they get involved in a back tax program and taxes going forward. (Breitbart)
Carson holds employers who hire illegal immigrants responsible, and believes they should receive swift, severe and consistent punishment that constitutes a real deterrent and not a mere inconvenience. (Ben Carson, America the Beautiful, 78-79
Carson believes that D.C. is not listening to the American people about securing the border.
Quote: The overwhelming majority of Americans want the southern borders of our country secured and our immigration laws enforced, but several administrations recently have been unwilling to get tough on this issue because they do not want to alienate a large voting block of Latinos. (ibid, 39)
Carson told the audience, at a Phoenix rally:I know the 14th Amendment has been brought up recently, about anchor babies—and it doesn’t make any sense to me that people could come in here, have a baby and that baby becomes an American citizen. There are many countries in the world where they simply have recognized that and don’t allow that to occur. (Breitbart)
When asked about allowing Syrian refugees to settle in the United States, Carson said: It’s totally ridiculous. Why would we do something like that? It’s pretty alarming. No way I would bring them in here. Are you kidding me? (Des Moines Register)
Carson came out against enforcing deportation law for illegal immigrants at a campaign rally in Southern California. Carson said: It sounds really cool you know, ‘Let’s just round them all up and ship them back.’ People who say that have no idea what it would entail in terms of our legal system—the cost—forget about it. And plus, where are you going to send them? So that’s, you know, a double whammy. (Breitbart)
Carson told Heritage Action for America’s Mike Needham that he supports a pathway to legal status for illegal immigrant agricultural workers, because farmers have told him Americans won’t do those jobs. Conservatives are correct to regard this as Agricultural Amnesty, and a special carve out for special interests. (YouTube)
Just waiting for Carson to go all the way on his “copycat” mission and say Mexico is going to pay for it.
By stringing barbed wire from pyramids,maybe?
Carson is right.
Whether he learned something from Trump or not, changed his mind, or is the best choice for President, is another issue.
But Carson is right.
Kasich, Bush and Rubio are wrong.
What’s he going to do? Hire Trump?
Its easy to just say something out of the blue when you have been saying the exact opposite for months. I don’t believe a word of it. Carson is slipping and he’s trying to get some traction. If elected he would do nothing to close the border or build the fence. The only two that would even attempt it are Trump and Cruz.
I think you're spot on with that comment.
Carson is trying to bolster his numbers with words.
Carson reminds me of that children’s song, “Little Sir Echo, how do you do . . .”
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