Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee

washingtonpost.com's Chris Cillizza and Washington Post reporter Dan Balz interviewed Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) on May 16 as part of an ongoing series of conversations with potential 2008 presidential candidates. A transcript of the interview is below:

Let's start with immigration, since it's topic A today this week. Let me begin with the National Guard. You have in the past raised concerns about the National Guard being overstretched because of Iraq. Given that ... what's your reaction to the idea of now using the National Guard to help try to seal the border for what appears to be an indefinite amount of time?

Gov. Huckabee:Well, I was gently relieved that ... the President's suggestion was less than what I feared. Had someone asked me over the weekend, I probably would not have been very charitable in my response, because I was anticipating that there was going to be a mass deployment, long period of time, and that the Guard would be called up to perform a police function. All three of those things were problematic for me.

Q: Where are you on the debate that rages here between the House approach on immigration and what seems now to be a consensus approach in the Senate, particularly on the issue of a path to legal status or citizenship for at least quite a few of the 11 to 12 million who are here illegally?

Huck: I tend to think that the rational approach is to find a way to give people a pathway to citizenship. You shouldn't ignore the law or ignore those who break it. But by the same token, I think it's a little disingenuous when I hear people say they should experience the full weight of the law in every respect with no pathway, because that's not something we practice in any other area of criminal justice in this country.

We have everything from plea bargainings to suspended sentences to probation to clemency. There's a whole gamut of ways in which there are lesser than the full penalties applied for a whole variety of reasons -- everything from jail overcrowding to non-violent offenses.

To think that we're going to go lock up 12 million people, or even round them up and drive them to the border and let them go, might make a great political speech, but IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. What should happen, however, is EXACTLY WHAT THE PRESIDENT HAS PROPOSED, and that is that we create a process where people make restitution for the fact they have broken the law.

It's not an amnesty, and I know that there are some who think that anything less than essentially grabbing them by the nape of the neck and tossing them over a fence, real or imaginary, is amnesty. But I think that's ridiculous. And whether it's Patrick Kennedy, Rush Limbaugh, or an illegal immigrant, there ought to be some rationality in how we apply our law. We do that every day.

Immigration Facts

The Governor opposes and will never allow amnesty.
Governor Huckabee believes that securing our borders must be our top priority and has reached the level of a national emergency.
The Governor supports the $3 billion the Senate has voted for border security. This money will train and deploy 23,000 more agents, add four drone planes, build 700 miles of fence and 300 miles of vehicle barriers, and put up 105 radar and camera towers.
In this age of terror, illegal immigration is not only an economic issue, but also a national security issue.
Governor Huckabee opposed the amnesty bill that was attempted to be rushed through Congress this summer, and opposed the misnamed DREAM Act, which would have put us on the slippery slope to amnesty for all.
Governor Huckabee opposes and will not tolerate sanctuaries for illegals.
Governor Huckabee opposes giving driver's licenses to those who are illegally in our country and supports legislation to prevent states from doing so.
Governor Huckabee believes illegal aliens who try to vote or try to apply for welfare benefits should be arrested.
Governor Huckabee will stop punishing cities which try to enforce our laws and protect the economic well-being, physical safety, and quality of life of our citizens.
Governor Huckabee opposes and will not tolerate employers who hire illegals. They must be punished with fines and penalties so large that they will see it is not worth the risk or profitable.
Governor Huckabee opposes the economic integration of North America that would create open borders among the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Governor Huckabee will never yield one inch of American sovereignty.
Governor Huckabee will take our country back for those who belong here. No open borders, no amnesty, no sanctuary, no false Social Security numbers, no driver's licenses for illegals.

It has been reported that Mike Huckabee supported benefits for illegals immigrants while he was Governor of Arkansas.

Governor Huckabee never supported benefits for illegal immigrants. In Arkansas, illegal immigrants do not receive welfare benefits or food stamps. Governor Huckabee has always, and will always be supportive of the laws and regulations of the country.

It has also been said that Mike Huckabee was in favor of providing college scholarships for illegal immigrants while he was Governor.

The governor only supported the measure that applied to those who met the academic qualifications and applied for legal citizenship. The measure didn't pass. Governor Huckabee stressed that any student would simply be treated as any other graduate of an Arkansas High School, and not given any special consideration.

Critics say that Governor Huckabee's motives behind opening a Mexican consulate office in Little Rock was to court illegals to come work in Arkansas.

The Mexican consulate provided Arkansas businesses with access to Mexico and opportunities to expand their markets, and would help further ensure that immigrants from Mexico are legal and better able to secure legal documentation. At the same time, the office would open up opportunities for Mexican investors to invest money with Arkansas partners, which would help create more jobs in the state.

Source: Huckabee website, Truth Squad: Immigration Facts, November 02, 2007

Thanks for posting the information from Huckabee’s website. I wouldn’t be terribly concerned about this issue if Huckabee openly admitted that his views on immigration had changed. What bothers me is that he seems to be misleading American’s about his record on immigration. In your post from his website it says that “the Governor opposes and will never allow amnesty” and that “Governor Huckabee opposed the amnesty bill...” How do you reconcile those statements with the fact that just one year ago he told the Washington Post that “What should happen, however, is EXACTLY WHAT THE PRESIDENT HAS PROPOSED, and that is that we create a process where people make restitution for the fact they have broken the law.” To me Huckabee’s lying/misleading about his record shows a lack of integrity and I had been ready to support Huckabee as my second choice if Hunter dropped out.

Gov. Huckabee: “...people are far more concerned about the kind of schools their kids go to, whether they’re going to keep their jobs, can they afford to get sick...”

Indeed, Gov. Huckabee. And this is exactly why illegal immigration is the #1 internal problem that our country faces.

Our schools are going broke educating illegals (or their children), our entry level American workers are in competetition with illegals who take their jobs and drive down their wages, and our hospitals and emergency rooms are crippled by the overwhelming flood of illegal immigrants.

Governor Huckabee, please wake up and smell the coffee.

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