NAPLES, Fla., Oct. 23, 2007
Thompson Vows "Sanctuary Cities" Crackdown
Republican Hopeful Unveils Immigration Proposals; Criticizes Giuliani And Romney
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Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson talks to a group of business women in Kissimmee, Fla. on Monday, Oct. 22, 2007. (AP)
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In his first major policy proposal, Thompson challenged presidential rivals Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney by criticizing "sanctuary cities" where city workers are barred from reporting suspected illegal immigrants who enroll their children in school or seek hospital treatment.
"Taxpayer money should not be provided to illegal immigrants," Thompson said at a round-table discussion that included Collier County, Fla., sheriff Don Hunter.
Thompson has argued his rivals are soft on illegal immigration because Giuliani, as New York mayor, sued the federal government to keep his city's sanctuary policy and because Romney tolerated sanctuary cities as Massachusetts' governor.
In turn, Giuliani's campaign accused Thompson of being weak on the issue. At a news conference Tuesday in Boston, Giuliani said: "I'm the one who can bring about immigration reform."
The immigration issue is important to many conservatives who influence Republican primaries. Some argue that illegal immigrants are straining schools and hospitals and taking jobs from U.S. citizens.
Thompson chose to announce his plan in Collier County, which has vast tomato farms that hire thousands of immigrants and last year was part of a two-county sweep that saw 163 illegal immigrants arrested in one weekend.
Thompson's campaign said 22 percent of the county's crime is committed by illegal immigrants.
To the sheriff, Thompson said: "You've clearly been swamped with a particular kind of problem because the federal government, in large part, has let you down and has not done their part."
"There's not a lot of new legislation that needs to be passed," the candidate said. "We need to enforce the laws that are on the books. There are laws against illegal immigration, there are laws to secure the border, there are laws against sanctuary cities, there are laws against publicly funding illegals, and that law is being disregarded."
Under Thompson's plan, sanctuary cities would lose discretionary federal grants, as would colleges and universities that allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition.
The former Tennessee senator also called for stronger laws forcing employers to verify that workers aren't illegal immigrants, for a more rigorous system to track who is coming in and out of the country and for increased prosecution of "coyotes," smugglers who bring illegal immigrants across the Mexican border.
Calling for stronger border security, he said: "A small amount of nuclear material could do a lot of damage in the wrong hands. It makes you wonder why a terrorist would bother going through an airport or a port ... when we have an open border." Thompson's proposal calls for doubling the number of border patrol and customs agents.
"In 1996 we passed a bill, I was in the Senate, that outlawed sanctuary cities. Mayor Giuliani went to court to defeat that law," Thompson said.
Giuliani spokeswoman Katie Levinson said Thompson didn't try to fix the problem of illegal immigration when he was in the Senate.
"He was voting against $1 billion to combat illegal immigration at the borders, against stricter employment verification and for giving illegal immigrants more benefits than we give legal immigrants. That's not consistent or conservative," Levinson said.
Romney spokesman Kevin Madden called Thompson a latecomer to the issue of sanctuary cities. "Governor Romney has been the strongest candidate when it comes to demanding that our existing immigration laws are enforced," Madden said.
Romney has spent several weeks criticizing Giuliani for New York's sanctuary policy; Giuliani responds that he cracked down on all lawlessness and that Romney tolerated sanctuary cities in Massachusetts.
Romney says he tried to curtail the problem by deputizing state police to enforce federal immigration laws.
Romney and Giuliani both are calling for tougher border security and enforcement of immigration laws, although in the past they spoke favorably of measures, sponsored by Arizona Sen. John McCain, another rival, that would provide a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million immigrants here illegally.
The leader of a pro-immigrant advocacy group told CBS News' Nancy Cordes said Thompson's plan was not particularly original, but was not far off from what some strong opponents of illegal immigration, like presidential candidate and Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., have proposed.
“Nothing new here that hasn’t been proposed by others or by House Republicans," he said. "On a scale of 1 (Kennedy) to 10 (Tancredo) he is about an 8."
As Thompson traveled through Florida, his campaign suffered another staff departure and lost a key supporter in New Hampshire to rival John McCain.
Aides confirmed that Nelson Warfield, a political media strategist, has left the campaign while New Hampshire Republican Dan Hughes said he had joined McCain's campaign leadership team.
Hughes, a developer who helped Ronald Reagan's campaign in 1980 and later Reagan's White House transition team, publicly split from the Thompson campaign last week, citing Thompson's lack of interest in the early voting state.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 45 CommentsI%u2019ve got exciting news about a new presidential candidate. I know for a fact that on November 1st, this new candidate for the President will be making his announcement ON THE INTERNET!!! You will receive information on where to tune in to catch his announcement.
If you''re not happy with any of the current Democrats or Republicans running for office, then this man might be the best thing since sliced bread!
Posted by frankson2 at 10:05 AM : Oct 24, 2007
Obviously the news. The SSA and ICE was set to start workplace crackdowns, and punishments for those emplying the illegals, when the AFL-CIO, ACLU and others got a delay on it, because it sould cause business too many problems.
One problem we have is ANCHOR BABIES. When an illegal has a baby on American soil, that baby is instatly given citizenship. When this happens you generate a voting class of people with pro-illegal tendencies. That is why you have decendents of illegals in politics, and in many cases sanctuary cities.
Why is when something about a church or religion comes up for the Reps, everybody is screaming seperation of church and state, but when it is something like the Catholic church harboring, aiding and abetting illegal invaders, not much is ever heard?
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But defense spending is taking funds away from SCHIP.
Let''''s call that "Peewee''''s big idea"!
Posted by briannorwood
Did you call your Senators today and ask the to vote against S2205, the DREAM ACT? Did you know that President Harry is calling for a vote without debate?
Let''s call that "Peewee''s big idea"!
None will be elected,they''''re only running to get away from their wives.
Posted by mediapreachr at 10:51 PM : Oct 23, 2007
Hillary has no B***s unless you count Bill''s
Good luck with that, Fred!
Posted by briannorwood at 09:09 AM : Oct 24, 2007
If you have lived in an area filling up with illegals you would be saying something different, unless you are totally brainless. It''s all about power and politics with you.
Good luck with that, Fred!
Posted by briannorwood
With the empty suits on the Left trying to force through an Amnesty bill today better known as the Dream Act, the peoplea re getting pretty riled up about this issue. Sanctuary cities are going to start feeling the heat. Why doesn''t Mexico build up it''s economy instead of piggybacking on ours? Thompson is going to have very good luck with this issue.
Good luck with that, Fred!
Mitt Romney shot back that Fred Thompson was engaging in "Gonzo Journalism"... apparently confusing him with Hunter S. Thompson.
Romney spokesman Kevin Madden later explained, "He misspoke. It was a slip-up, that"s all."
States rights and getting the jackboot of the federal government off the neck of America has always been one of the points on your conservative Republican
agenda.
Right, Freddy?
Posted by drivelphobe at 11:18 PM : Oct 23, 2007
Instead of drivelphobe, you might consider using the moniker "xenophobe".....
I hate to tell you this, but you don''t have a snowballs chance in H e l l of winning the Presidency of the United States. Just go back to acting. It''s o.k to be a regular guy. Like Clint Eastwood said in one of his movies, "A man''s got to know his limitations."
Deporting illegals and closing the border with Mexico, is a winning ticket, reagrdlesss of who takes it on. Even Hillary could win with this if her word was good.
No one cares what the Hispanic community thinks. We care about American communities think, and they are sick and tired of pandering to thieving illegals and their supporters.
No more freebies, no more anchor bambinos, no more free medical care and no more illegals. We have borders and we are going to close them down to illegals. We are tired of ghettos, gangs, crime, food stamps, shopping carts used for public transportation, and hordes of jabbering foreigners driving and walking aginst traffic and signals. They are totally disgusting and are not welcome in this country.
Legal immigrants are as welcome as the sunshine. They must learn English and desire to assimilate in to American society.
The illegals are here to rape and pillage our system, sending every dime back to their respective countries. They are liars, thieves and criminals and have no rights in this country.
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