Posted on 10/24/2007 8:26:22 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
DAVENPORT, Iowa - Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday that if elected president he would end illegal immigration in as few as three years by employing the same police tactics he used to reduce the crime rate as New York mayor.
"It can be done. It is not impossible," Giuliani told his audience at a town hall-style meeting. "You can do this, you can stop them at the border."
Giuliani said he would boost the number of border security agents to 18,000 from the current 12,000, and build a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border with technological monitoring to reduce illegal immigration.
He also would deploy federal agents along the border at 50-mile intervals, using high-tech monitors to detect people trying to enter the country illegally.
Giuliani said expanding the force is the same strategy he employed as mayor to lower New York's crime rate. Adding border agents could have similar results on immigration, he said.
"If you do this for two or three years, you'll change behavior," Giuliani said. "If people come to the border and figure they can't get in, they'll stop."
Giuliani was pushing on an issue that deeply divides the nation and where there are significant differences between the Republican candidates.
Rival Sen. John McCain supported a failed immigration bill that would have provided a pathway to citizenship for the roughly 12 million illegal immigrants in the country. That stance cost him backing of party conservatives who view that as granting amnesty.
On Tuesday, rival Fred Thompson proposed stripping some federal grant money from cities and states that do not report illegal immigrants to federal authorities. Thompson also called for stronger border security.
Giuliani said the nation needs first to stop illegal immigration before it can turn its attention to the legal immigration it needs to fill certain jobs.
He also would institute a tamper-proof ID system to make sure that legal immigrants are working, "which means they would be paying taxes and Social Security."
Everybody’s getting in the act.
Wow, some more polling data must have come in.

Republican presidential hopeful former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani speaks to local residents during a town hall meeting, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007, in Davenport, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
His Sanctuary City ploy didn’t work. Time for Plan B.
What's next? Is Rudy going to flip-flop on gun rights and suggest the blind should be allowed to carry guns?
He might as well flip-flop on abortion while he is at it. But, I guess support for killing unborn children is the only core belief he does have.
Rudy is a liar.
He ought to have made this statement while flipping pancakes at IHOP.
Rudy should have come out and said, “Hey, I may be pro-choice, but I am representing a pro life party and if elected I will reflect my party’s values as President”
I am paraphrasing Ann, we all know nobody can say it the right way better than Ann herself!
Guiliani is full of crap
Simplistic solution, Rudy. One third of the illegals come here legally and are visa overstays. The border is just part of the problem. Legal immigration policies need to be changed as well.
Sorry, Rudy, I believe what you did before you decided to run for President, not what you now say to obscure your past.
Illegal immigration is easy to stop. Just make em all legal.
I suspect most of the people here who are refusing to accept Guiliani’s conversion on this issue voted for George W. Bush twice, despite the fact that Bush has NEVER made as forthright a statement about illegal immigration as this.
Well, if he’d said that he might have lessoned some resistance towards him. IF you believed he’d follow through on that promise.
instead Rudy just wants us to put aside our differences and let him act out his pro-choice beliefs because he’s strong on the WOT, most of our candidates are, and he can beat Hillary and no one else can...or so he claims.
So, I’m wondering, what prompted this promise by Rudy? the DREAM ACT? Doubtful. This references wednesday and most people weren’t plugged into that legislation until today. I have to assume he’s saying this because thompson unveiled a rather full and acceptable position on immigration (legal and not). When a candidate starts following the lead of another candidate, does that make them still the frontrunner? maybe, I guess, temporarily...unless it continues issue after issue.
Politicians grab other politicians winning themes all the time.
Best example ever was the current mayor of Los Angeles.
There was an independent running on fixing traffic better and coordinating the street lights to ease traffic.
Villaraigosa took the issue since it had such great traction and it has been one of his only good things about his time as mayor.
So politicians take other people’s ideas and run with them for success often I guess.
G.W.B. didn’t lie about it either. To my knowledge his sympathties toward amnesty were known, they were certainly known in 2004 but he was the best we had. Ashcroft may have been better in 2000, but it was between McCain and Bush. Bush was better then McCain.
Rudy’s record ALSO points that his sympathties rest with amnesty. Except he’s lying about that record, and he’s using coded knowledge about I.D. cards so we can better track the people in the country (i.e. illegals that would be allowed to remain). People aren’t refusing to accept his “conversion”. they just don’t believ one ever took place. All they see is someone that witnessed Mccain, Bush and Congress’ numbers hit the celler over this issue so he’s trying to tone down his support for purely cynical political motivation.
Furthermore we have a better candidate on this issue registering second in most polls. So as with 2000 and 2004, the better of the two should be supported. I’m supporting Thompson. Just as I supported Bush over McCain in 2000.
Did you vote for President Bush at all?
You seem to want Hillary to win awfully bad to pimp for a certain left wing liar loser like Rudy.
Rudy sure fits a democrats profile!
IT is for the murder of unborn babies!
IT is a big gun control nut!
IT covered for the invaders in ITS city!
IT surrounded ITself with thugs!
Why does IT have an R by ITS name instead of a D?
True.
I guess the question here is whether he co-opts the issue with success for himself, or if he starts to gain a “me too” image. Success would rely on the perception he “owns” the intiative here. We’ll see.
There is nothing that comes out of Rudy’s mouth that I will ever believe. I don’t like him, nor do I trust him at all.
Yes, I voted for Bush -- both times. And I am very disappointed with his stance on immigration.
Giuliani is a liar and his personal life proves it.
I like my amnesty plan!
Please call them INVADERS and dont compare them to people who are legal aliens!
IF you aid and abet CRIMINALS, you are a criminal!
President Bush has been great on most things except for our border.
He has been great on the war on terrorists.
But on the border he is a gross failure.
He acted fast and correct on the 3,000+ people murdered at the world trade center.
He ignores the many rapes, murders and robberies which are much larger than the murders and money loss at the world trade center.
More Americans are abducted on the border of Mexico than in Iraq!
Start building the fence.
It should be made a felony for Criminals who overstay their visas and Invaders.
I believe we should give amnesty to these poor CRIMINALS or INVADERS.
This should be a 2 week amnesty to get the heck out of our Country.
The ones who ignore this amnesty should be buried in a tent city jail and fined $10,000 or buried elsewhere.
All aiders and abettors of these CRIMINALS or INVADERS should get 1 year in a tent city jail and a $10,000 fine for each CRIMINAL aided.
Those in government should be the first ones charged.
Rudy is the new Bob Dole!
Remember when Bob Dole made the statement: “I can be conservative! I can be anything you want me to be!” during his presidential campaign?
At that point I knew he didn’t have a chance.
Here’s hoping that this type of behavior on Rudy’s part is the death-knell of his campaign as well.
If so, all I can say is good-riddance to a horrible candidate!
When you voted for him, did you have any idea that he would come up with a big amnesty plan? I sure didn't. I am getting the impression that a lot of people around here are willing to forgive anything if the person doing it has a southern accent.
If Giuliani had a southern drawl, would you really care that he cheated on his wife?
3 years eh?...better 3 weeks would get my attention.
With all of the presidential candidates moving toward a tough-on-borders policy, I guess we can at least agree that illegal border crossings CAN be stopped.
I don’t believe for a minute that Mayor Sancutary-City Giuliani would actually do it, though.
ditto
.....yeah....and I guess to fill in the 3 years time...huge posters of Guiliani in drag will be erected all along the border to scare the illegals away.....sure scared the heck out of me.
very recently he stated that illegal immigration was NOT a crime. I don’t trust him.
Giuliani is more than a day late on the issue of illegal immigration. Regardless, better late than never.
I agree, better late than never. I think Rudy will continue to gain traction, both among Republican primary voters, and even among those on this forum. Many predicted his campaign would collapse early in the race. He has continued to lead many polls, and remain competitive in others. He has a very good shot at the nomination, and I think he would make a good president.
Of course. I don't worship at the altar of the Republican party. I only vote for principled politicians with character.
But, some of the same people that endlessly attacked Bill Clinton's character have no problem supporting a Republican just as dishonest and liberal.
When one supports Giulaini, it's not about right or wrong or conservative vs. liberal anymore, it's just about Republican vs, Democrat.
Rudy is a PATHOLOGICAL liar!
ping
Just the latest Rudy B.S. Coming from him, I find it laughable.
Clinton's problems had nothing to do with marital fidelity. That is liberal propaganda. He was impeached because he lied under oath in court.
Say what ??
He also said that he had been in the Ground Zero ruins as often, if not more than the cleanup workers who each logged hundreds of hours working in the smoldering pile.
This new claim is no more believable than the older one.
I notice there is no mention of those already here.
There is no conversion I can see. He says nothing about those illegals already here. His history suggests those here would be granted sanctuary.
BTW, I voted for the hapless fool now in the WH twice. I couldn't very well vote for Gore or Kerry.
Bush made his intentions known about his "new America". We just didn't pay attention and I think it was not at all publicized.
| We are now one of the largest Spanish-speaking nations in the world. We're a major source of Latin music, journalism and culture. Just go to Miami, or San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago or West New York, New Jersey ... and close your eyes and listen. You could just as easily be in Santo Domingo or Santiago, or San Miguel de Allende. For years our nation has debated this change -- some have praised it and others have resented it. By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America. Our future cannot be separated from the future of Latin America. As I speak, we are celebrating the success of democracy in Mexico. George Bush from a campaign speech in Miami, August 2000. |
Here is an excerpt of a good critique of that speech:
In equating our intimate historic bonds to our mother country and to Canada with our ties to Mexico, W. shows a staggering ignorance of the civilizational facts of life. The reason we are so close to Britain and Canada is that we share with them a common historical culture, language, literature, and legal system, as well as similar standards of behavior, expectations of public officials, and so on. My Bush Epiphany By Lawrence Auster
Roto Rooty is spinning. Mr. Sanctuary City was all for illegal immigration before he wasn’t for it.
He flops around like a beached fish.
He is responsible for splitting this party.
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