Congressman Tom Tancredo (Rep. CO)
Posted on 10/31/2002 7:15:56 AM PST by madfly
U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo says the Democratic and Republican parties are key obstacles to solving America's illegal immigration crisis. "Democrats want it for votes. Republicans want it for cheap labor," Tancredo said. "Therefore it is desirable to have people coming across illegally." The Littleton Republican, who has helped ignite a national debate on immigration, said the United States must decide whether it wants a border it is willing to enforce. He made his comments Wednesday during an immigration debate on The Aaron Harber Show at KBDI-Channel 12. Also appearing on the show was former Colorado governor Dick Lamm, a Democrat who for years has sounded the alarm about the effects of mass immigration to the United States. He said Colorado's growth debate is really an immigration debate. On the other side of the issue were immigration attorney Donna Lipinski and Estevan Flores, a sociology professor at the University of Colorado at Denver and the executive director of the Latino Research Council. Flores said it is impossible to stop illegal immigration as long as Mexico and United States exist side by side and have such disparate economies. "Alan Greenspan, the noted economist, pointed out the boom of the '90s was supported by immigrant laborers and illegal workers," Flores said. "You can't have it both ways." Lipinski said she repeatedly talks to employers who say they can't find workers - a statement Tancredo couldn't wait to refute. "They only give you half the line really," he said. "The rest of that sentence should be, 'We can't find workers at what we are willing to pay.'" The panelists found common ground in some areas: The Department of Immigration and Naturalization needs to be reformed, and the United States should explore "guest worker" programs. Lamm said the advantage of such programs is workers would come but their families would stay behind so schools would not be impacted. Lamm and Tancredo were critical of the United States for granting amnesty to illegal immigrants several years ago without having a secure border in place to stop the flow of more undocumented workers. Tancredo said he opposes granting another blanket amnesty to the 10 million or so illegal immigrants in the United States because it sends the wrong message. "Why would you go through all the brain damage to come here legally when it's so easy to come here illegally?" he asked. Lipinski said it's not as easy as Tancredo claims, pointing out numerous deaths of Mexicans trying to cross the border. But Tancredo said his office works with hundreds of people trying to handle immigration problems legally, through green cards or visas. "Do you know what I should tell them? 'Do you know there's an easier way? Sneak into the country. Because if you do it the right way, you're really kind of a sucker because eventually we're going to give amnesty to everyone,'" he said. |
It is pitiful that our federal government overreaches into so many areas where it doesn't belong, yet deliberately and purposefully turns a blind eye to illegal immigration across our borders which should be one of its fundamental legitimate concerns.
It is a shame that it may come to more multiple snipers from foreign countries here, more mass landings of crafts on porous borders, and more border crossers with al-Qaida agendae, to wake more people up.
Tancredo warned us. Anything more than happens here on out, cannot be blamed solely on the Clinton Administration.
White House and Congress and Governors and State Legislatures, DO..YOU...HEAR...THAT??
I noticed the same thing... maybe the owners are wising up to the fact that their paying customers really appreciate being understood.
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