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Plan has 'fatal flaw,' congressman says
Rocky Mountain News ^ | 01/08/04 | Ann Imse and M.E. Sprengelmeyer

Posted on 01/08/2004 5:01:57 AM PST by T-Bird45

President Bush's proposal has thrust Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., back into the national spotlight as one of the most outspoken advocates of tougher measures against illegal immigration.

On Wednesday, Tancredo appeared on numerous national network telecasts, and press secretary Carlos Espinoza said he had the busiest day of his career fielding interview requests.

Tancredo condemned the proposal as dangerous for national security. And he publicly cast doubt on the sincerity of his own party's president: He believes Bush's package may be just an election year ploy to win Hispanic votes.

In Tancredo's view, the measures would reward illegal immigration and do nothing to secure U.S. borders against terrorists lost in the huge numbers crossing into America.

Failure to create secure borders first is the "fatal flaw" in Bush's proposal, he said.

"The president makes two very bad mistakes in this proposal," he said.

"No. 1, he rewards people for having broken the law. That's bad policy," he said, referring to the idea of allowing millions of illegal immigrants to register and work.

"No. 2, he believes it will not hurt him politically."

Tancredo said his office received hundreds of calls Tuesday from Republicans furious with the idea of allowing illegals to work.

Tancredo is not alone in his views. He is chairman of a caucus that counts 68 other members of Congress united behind proposals for secure borders, a halt to illegal immigration and a limited guest-worker program.

Colorado representatives Marilyn Musgrave and Joel Hefley have signed onto the caucus.

Tancredo predicted the president's proposal would die in the House because of opposition by his own party. "It will be a very ugly event," he said.

The president offered only principles, not an actual bill - such a measure will take months to write, he noted. "I think he doesn't even want this."

It's not the first time Tancredo has clashed with the White House over immigration.

Shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Tancredo claimed the Bush administration was promoting amnesty for illegal immigrants to score political points.

Tancredo drew a rebuke from Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, for saying that if lax border control contributed to another terrorist attack, then the White House and Congress could have "blood on their hands."


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: aliens; amnesty; bush; illegalmexicans; illegals; immigrationreform; karlrove; rewardingcriminals; tancredo; thenannystate; thewelfarestate; welfarestate
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To: GigaDittos
Too bad it's unconstitutional, but I would divide California into two states.

LOL okay as long as it's East and West, not North and South. West Cali should consist of all the coastal counties from Los Angeles to San Francisco, plus Santa Clara, Alameda and Contra Costa. East Cali is the rest. I'm ok with that. Just please, please don't make it North and South because both will be truly terrible.

Coming up next, East Cali passes shall-issue conceal-carry law...

61 posted on 01/08/2004 10:46:40 AM PST by paper avalanche
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To: paper avalanche
If it walks like amnesty and quacks like amnesty, it's amnesty.

Amnesty by any other name would stink as sour. (Apologies to Bill S.)

Don't **** on my head and tell me it's raining.

(I'm working on more)

Hb
62 posted on 01/08/2004 10:53:54 AM PST by Hoverbug
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To: Hoverbug
If it walks like amnesty and quacks like amnesty, it's amnesty.

Nope. An amnesty is a one-time grant of citizenship or greencard to anyone who's been here for a while, given because they've been here for a while. That is not what's being proposed because (1) it is not a grant of citizenship or greencard (2) it doesn't matter if you've been here for a while, only that you have a qualifying job (3) it's not a one-time thing (4) it doesn't confer a permanent status.

Repeat after me... "temporary worker permit".

Y'all take it easy now, ok?

63 posted on 01/08/2004 12:00:17 PM PST by paper avalanche
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To: GigaDittos
No MEChA just wants "their" country back.

Turn off the paranoia there for a second. The moonbats at MEChA are a totally fringe group even among hispanics. Nobody wants to recreate Mexico in So Cal, that's what they went here to *get away from* in the first place. What most of them want is to be alloweed to work insanely hard at really sucky jobs so they and their children can have a better life... better in all the ways in which the good ol' US of A is better than Mexico, most of which have nothing to do with economics of welfare or whatever. They like it here just fine the way it is, thank you.

64 posted on 01/08/2004 12:13:11 PM PST by paper avalanche
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To: paper avalanche
Yeah right, and I'm the King of England.

You go ahead and spin away. Maybe you'll hook the stupid ones.

Next time you get pulled over by a cop, patiently explain to him that you weren't speeding, per say, you were just going faster than the speed limit.

Good luck with that.

Take care,

Hb
65 posted on 01/08/2004 4:08:56 PM PST by Hoverbug
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To: T-Bird45
Needless to say, anyone can equally claim that Tancrepo's opposition to dealing effectively with illegal immigration is just an 'election year ploy.'
66 posted on 01/08/2004 4:13:20 PM PST by Cultural Jihad
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To: T-Bird45
Bush to Americans: "No more illegals."
67 posted on 01/08/2004 4:17:13 PM PST by Visalia
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To: paper avalanche
Excellent point. Anyone can point out any fringe nutcase group in order to instill fear in others. People who are afraid are more easily manipulated. Perhaps immigrants are asked to look at the KKK or Nazi Party crackpots and are told that all of America is against them, just as some come around here and point to MEChA or Aztlan as representative of immigrant aspirations. It's all just baloney if it weren't dangerous for the ill will it fosters.
68 posted on 01/08/2004 4:36:56 PM PST by Cultural Jihad
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To: ETERNAL WARMING; Happy2BMe
BUMPING for reference.
69 posted on 01/08/2004 8:02:44 PM PST by Happy2BMe (2004 - Who WILL the TERRORISTS vote for? - - Not George W. Bush, THAT'S for sure!)
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To: paper avalanche
Umm... Rosie, have you actually looked at how immigrants who have been here for a while or their children vote?

All you gotta do is look at the voting districts that border Mexico. Red districts they ain't. Any % vote toward Republicans, or consertative candidates, that is less than 50% is a net loss, no matter what you say. Besides, looking at illegals as potential voters is an insult to citizens of this nation, a violation of the law, and a reward for law breakers. California's huge budget deficit proves that the border jumpers are large net consumers of welfare and other "free" social services.

There are simple ways to have illegals "self-deport". The easiest is to make it impossible for them to work here through confiscation of Mexican consular cards and huge penalties for employers of illegals, which is already provided for in law and only needs to be enforced.

70 posted on 01/09/2004 6:16:56 AM PST by Orbiting_Rosie's_Head
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To: T-Bird45
Their phones should be smoking by now from having so many phone calls.
71 posted on 01/09/2004 3:56:55 PM PST by american spirit (ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION = NATIONAL SUICIDE)
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