BY TOM BRUNE
9:25 PM EDT, August 14, 2007
COLUMBIA, S.C.
Under his immigration plan, Rudy Giuliani would allow most of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in this country to stay, work and even become citizens -- provisions that GOP hardliners blast as "amnesty."
In a rare revelation of his views on this hot-button issue -- and only in response to a direct question about it -- the Republican presidential front-runner outlined a position that resembles controversial parts of the comprehensive immigration bill Congress rejected this year because of charges it gave "amnesty" to illegal workers.
In two appearances here in a state where illegal immigration is on the rise, Giuliani said his first step would be to "end illegal immigration," by securing the border with physical and high-tech fences and properly deployed border patrols.
In response to a question by Richard Pope, 75, about the 12 million illegal immigrants already here, Giuliani said, "I would say come forward, get your ... tamper-proof ID card, get photographed and fingerprinted, and we will check you out."
He added, "If you want to work, pay your fair share and we'll sign you up. People who don't sign up we will find and throw out of the country."
Giuliani also said those workers who came here illegally but who qualified for the ID card could eventually become eligible for citizenship.
"If they ever wanted to become citizens, I would say they would have to pay a fine so it's not amnesty," Giuliani said. "Also they have to get at the back of the line, not get ahead of anybody else."
They would also have pass an English and civics test, he said.
Giuliani earlier this year rejected the Bush immigration bill as unworkable. He criticized it for failing to require an ID card for non-citizens and a database to track their arrival and departure in the country.
But he never attacked allowing the undocumented workers to stay or get citizenship.
Giuliani's plan runs counter to the views of immigration hardliners in his own party, including Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, who is running for president as an immigration foe.
It also might open him to more criticism from his rival Mitt Romney, who is attacking the former mayor for running New York City as a "sanctuary" for illegal immigrants.
Giuliani yesterday held up his actions in New York as a model, comparing his requirement for finger-printing welfare recipients -- resulting in less fraud and fewer on the dole -- to his call for ID cards for noncitizens.
But in response to a question about whether George W. Bush had failed to enforce immigration laws, Giuliani refused to directly blame the president -- though he implicitly criticized him for failing to build the 700-mile fence authorized by Congress.
No comments:
Post a Comment