Thompson Scores Against Leading Debate Foes

Fred Thompson also supported federal pro-choice initiatives and VOTED as a senator in favor of gun control legislation. This is spin at its finest.

Hey I don't agree with any lobbyist being in any power, period.

Well Fred has another issue.... just in.

Thompson urges immigration action By BRENDAN FARRINGTON and LIBBY QUAID, Associated Press Writers
8 minutes ago



NAPLES, Fla. - Republican Fred Thompson said Tuesday the government should yank federal dollars from cities and states that don't report illegal immigrants.

ADVERTISEMENT

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."

"In 1996 we passed a bill, I was in the Senate, that outlawed sanctuary city 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.

___

Associated Press Writer Libby Quaid reported from Washington, and Jay Lindsay contributed from Boston.


Thompson proposes immigration crackdown - Yahoo! News

i like thompson more than giuli or romney, but ron paul yet again has my stance on illegals.

If anyone believes that that is Thompsons stance on illegal immigration, and not his handlers, I have some ocean front property for sale in southern Floria. Does ANYONE seriously believe that a walking dead man, that couldn't remember enough about the Terri Shriavo case to have an opinion, actually rubbed both his brain cells together to come up with that?

Hey I just read it and posted it. like it says 8 minutes ago maybe he changed his mind. I am not debating the post. I just placed it for all to read and take it from there.

I like this kind of speech from Thompson.


Source- Mywaynews.com

Do the americans want another **** actor in the white house :eek:

To agree with a speech isn't supporting this clown. I think at least he has grabbed an issue that a lot of Americans what delt with. So it will get the rest of the crowd to focus on it, in stead of attacking the front runners and waste our time in debates. Glad he started this and pray others get the idea and get something going on the subject even if it all is lies in the end.
I guess Fred, is lying or he doesn't need the big bucks from Big Business.
But he has found an issue a few of us want brought to the front and discussed.