Giuliani Emphasizes Border Security

GOP Hopeful Says Immigration Policy Shouldn't Punish States, Cities, Businesses

(AP)  Responsibility for stopping illegal immigration belongs to the federal government and not to cities, states or businesses, Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani said Tuesday.

Giuliani told small-business owners he would not punish them for unwittingly hiring illegal immigrants.

Federal officials are "trying to put the responsibility for this on employers, on city government, on state government," the former New York mayor said during a conference call arranged by the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

"The simple fact is, nobody but the federal government can stop people from coming into this country illegally, and the federal government does a very bad job of that," Giuliani said.

He said no other presidential candidate will solve the problem.

"If you elect a Democrat, they're just going to open the borders, and more illegals are going to come in," he said.

"And if you elect one of my (Republican) opponents, they want to crack down on cities and states, and they want to crack down on businesses, but they don't want to solve the problem," he said. "If I become president, in a very short while, you will not be able to walk into the United States without identifying yourselves."

Giuliani says he would build a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border that includes high-tech monitoring to detect those trying to enter the U.S. illegally. He also calls for hiring more border patrol agents.

Legal immigrants should be issued a tamper-proof, federal identification card, he said, "and if something is wrong with that card, it's the federal government's responsibility, not yours."

Republican candidates have been sparring over illegal immigration, an issue that angers conservatives who hold sway in party primaries and who argue that the problem is straining schools and hospitals and taking jobs away from U.S. citizens.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has criticized Giuliani for defending New York's "sanctuary" policy, which barred city workers from reporting suspected illegal immigrants who enrolled their children in school or sought hospital treatment.

"If the mayor is just looking to place blame, all he needs to do is look in a mirror," Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said Tuesday. "Stopping illegal immigration is about actually enforcing existing immigration laws."

Of the sanctuary city criticism, Giuliani has responded that, while he cracked down on all lawlessness, Romney tolerated sanctuary cities in Massachusetts.

Romney argues he tried to curtail the problem by deputizing state police to help enforce federal immigration laws.

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, has accused both Giuliani and Romney of being weak on immigration.

"As mayor, Rudy Giuliani told city employees to ignore federal law and barred them from assisting federal immigration agents, and yet he now expects voters to believe he'd be tough on our borders?" said Thompson spokesman Jeff Sadosky.

Also Tuesday, Giuliani criticized President Bush's No Child Left Behind education law, saying, it's "really a debate about what kind of standards do federal governments impose on state and local bureaucracies."

"I would turn the decision-making over to people and to parents," he said on the conference call. "I'm willing to bet that parents will do a better job of evaluating these schools that are doing a poor job a lot better than government bureaucrats do."

[forthepeopl1]

"It''''s one thing if someone believes in what''''s going on over there and volunteers, but it''''s another thing to send someone over there on a forced assignment, and I''''m sorry but basically that''''s a potential death sentence," Jack Croddy, a senior Foreign Service officer, said on that call.

AS A FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS THEY HAVE TO DO WHAT THEY ARE TOLD TO DO JUST AS OUR TROOPS...NO DIFFERENT,

BUT IT IS FUNNY TO SEE THEM NOW SAY TO THE GOVERNEMNT F/U/C/K/ OFF,CRYING LIKE BABYS NOW THAT THEY HAVE TO GO OVER...EVERYTHINGS OK UNTIL SOMEONE TELL A EMPLOYEE OF THE GOVERNEMNT TO GO OVER TO WHAT BUSH/CHENEY SAY IS THE SAFEST PLAY ON EARTH...FUNNY I CANT STOP LAUGHTING..HA.HA.HA,HA,

HEY LETS SEND HIM OVER

[prinzowhales]

Giuliani, as always, remains beneath contempt...the only thing more contemptible and useless are his supporters.

[usaprophet]

I just want to say to the hundreds of millions of people in this country who don''t vote. Ron Paul is the guy you''ve been waiting for. REAL change in this country IS possible. Like the kid said, who was recently tasered and arrested by the cops at a John Kerry lecture for simply asking him about his involvement with Skull and Bones, "Voter disenfranchisement in America does infect the heart of our democracy," Dr. Ron Paul has the cure, my friends. Get off your couch, put your remote control down, and become active in your nation''s political process. The pathetically few people that do vote in this country, a.k.a., "the ruling class", who currently get to decide under what kind of conditions (and Laws) you and your family will live, are certainly involved. The thing I like about Ron Paul is, out of ALL of the candidates on either the right or the left, he''s the one who''s the most in-line with The Constitution, and with the intents and the dream which our Founding Fathers had for a FREE AMERICA; one with minimul federal government intervention in our daily lives. After ten terms of service as a U.S. Congressman, Ron Paul has demonstarted a consistent track record of adherance to The Constitution which is unmatched by anyone else in federal government. Remember, folks our country was founded as a Republic, not the Oligarchy that it has become. The time for political revolution is now. The time for Ron Paul is now!

[chucktruck2]

Rudy is : antigun,antifamily,progay,proabortion,and is on the wrong side of the fence. A vote for Rudy is a vote for Hillary . I bet you a nickel that not one of this neocoM collectist are voting for Rudy . Ann Romney will be a better FIRST LADY.

[usaprophet]

I agree with Dr. Paul about the issue of illegal immigration. The talk must stop. We must secure our borders now. A nation without secure borders is no nation at all. It makes no sense to fight terrorists abroad when our own front door is left unlocked. Ron Paul has a plan: (1.) Physically secure our borders and coastlines. We must do whatever it takes to control entry into our country before we undertake complicated immigration reform proposals. (2.) Enforce visa rules. Immigration officials must track visa holders and deport anyone who overstays their visa or otherwise violates U.S. law. This is especially important when we recall that a number of 9/11 terrorists had expired visas. (3.) No amnesty. Estimates suggest that 10 to 20 million people are in our country illegally. That''s a lot of people to reward for breaking our laws. (4.) No welfare for illegal aliens. Americans have welcomed immigrants who seek opportunity, work hard, and play by the rules, but taxpayers should not pay for illegal immigrants who use hospitals, clinics, schools, roads, and social services. (5.) End birthright citizenship. As long as illegal immigrants know their children born here will be citizens, the incentive to enter the U.S. illegally will remain strong. (6.) Pass true immigration reform. The current system, and those proposed by ALL other candidates, is incoherent and unfair, and would allow up to 60 million more immigrants into our country.

[usaprophet]

Things people should know about Rudolph Giuliani: A Spanish company, Cintra-Zachry, is already building the North American SuperCorridor highway through the middle of our country, and they''re gonna get the tolls. Rodolph Giuliani''s law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani represents that Spanish company. Another Giuliani business, Giuliani Capitol Advisors was once a partner of Cintra-Zachry, and actually owned the rights to collect tolls from the Indiana and Chicago sections of the SuperCorridor before Giuliani sold that interest recently to an Australian company called Macquarie. Bracewell & Giuliani represents some of the biggest multi-national oil, utility infrastructure and financial corporations both in the U.S. and abroad. With that have come the connections that Giuliani has been able to tap into for campaign donations, essential for his Presidential bid, not only in Texas but nationwide, as he has become the consummate NWO globalist. Particularly unnerving, given Giuliani''s personal experience on 9/11, is his defense of open borders at any cost while condoning the NAFTA Superhighway Corridor and by extension the North American Union, without the consent of the U.S. Congress or the will of the American people. We should have seen it coming when Mayor Giuliani enacted Special Order 40 in 1994, ordering NYC law enforcement officers to stop checking the immigration status of suspects caught violating the Law. Vote for a REAL AMERICAN. Vote for Ron Paul.

[realpatriot1]

Heah all you illegal immigrants! Disguise yourselves as Chinese toy shipments and arrive in containers at our ports. The republicans are turning down funds to inspect containers.

By the way Jihadists, you can do the same, just stow away as a tickle me elmo.

[fibonacci_]

Face it, Republicans are stuck with Rudy. Ha ha ha. Democratics are stuck with Hillary. Ha ha ha. 101001011100

[shoujoboy-2009]

watcher269 I appreciate you putting that quote on here. I have yet to see that one, but it''s one I wholeheartedly agree with. Giuliani is running almost exclusively on his involvement with 9/11. The thing about that is that it could possibly work. If you can manage to influence peoples emotions then it doesn''t matter what they think, you''ve already got them. I don''t see Giuliani as a viable candidate myself, we shall see where this all goes.

[fibonacci_]

thefarrier, you need to post some of your Ron Paul stuff here, I found a gap!

[poopbreath]

What a hypocrite!! The guy who allowed illegals in his corrupt city. The States override the Feds, you idiot.

[abbe91]

"Giuliani told small-business owners he would not punish them for unwittingly hiring illegal immigrants."

unwittingly ... Great. Giuliani just proved he is a true republican.
Of course, we already knew :

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/10/giuliani-defend.html

[watcher269-2009]

What about this quote from Biden - just goes to show how right leaning CBS news is for not reporting this!!!

Biden: %u201C%u2026And the irony is, Rudy Giuliani, probably the most under qualified person since George Bush to seek the presidency, is here - talking about any of the people here. Rudy Giuliani. I mean think about it, Rudy Giuliani, there%u2019s only three things he mentions in a sentence %u2014 a noun and a verb and 9/11 and I mean, there%u2019s nothing else. There%u2019s nothing else.%u201D

[candide777]

Now, there''s some of the hatemongering we like to hear from republicans! Yes, all the problems this country faces today are attributable to illegal immigrants!!! And the blacks, and the ***, and the Jews, and the feminists, and the French, especially the French!! The French have ruined this country because they hate our freedom, and they want to destroy us! If you vote for Hillary, we won''t be able to blow anything up without first getting permission from Paris. Is that the kind of country you want to live in?