You also said that undocumented students in New Jersey should get in-state tuition rates. Do you think other states should adopt that policy as well?
CHRISTIE: Listen, I think nationally, they have to fix a broken system. And I think this is one of the real frustrations that people across the country have on this and a myriad of other issues is they look at what governors do, like in New Jersey, where we confront problems, we debate them, we argue about them, then we get to a table, we come to an agreement, we fix them and we move on. And in Washington, that seems to almost never happens.
And so I think, listen, everybody has got to sit at a table, everyone is going to have a point of view on immigration, and a myriad of other issues. Well, let's have our argument out publicly, then let's get to the table, come to a consensus and then move on.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So -- but do you think that national solution should include both a path to citizenship and that relief on in-state college tuition?
CHRISTIE: I think the national solution has to be -- has to be figured out by the people who are in charge of our national government. My job is to fix what's going on in New Jersey.
But I will tell you this, George, we're not going to be able to fix all the things we need in New Jersey until national leaders set a national immigration policy. That's federal law, federal policy that needs to be fixed. It's a broken system, it's not working for the economy, it's not working for the individuals who are affected by it. It's not working for the governments. So we need to get them in a room, the president needs to lead and members of congress need to do it, too. And if they do that, then I think it will help our economy and help our country if we get to some resolution.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Including a path to citizenship?
CHRISTIE: George, I don't get to make those determinations, the folks in Washington, D.C.
That's leadership?
“That’s leadership?”
That’s reality; if Christie cracked down on illegal immigration and is simply stopped by the federal government (or hampered due to it’s refusal to protect the borders), then in the end it is a national, not state, problem. Here in NJ we have tons of illegals, and not many states are further from Mexico than we are.
Again, they didn’t ask the mayor of my town these questions for a reason.