Tancredo On Illegal Immigration

[crobertson1]

Tancredo Says Broad Impact of Illegal Immigration Justifies His Focus
IowaPolitics.com : March 25 , 2007 -- by Matt Clark

MUSCATINE -- Congressman Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., told a gathering of Iowans at Muscatine Community College on Saturday that he has good reason to base his presidential campaign on the single issue of border control.

"Sometimes I am accused of being a one-issue candidate, I have heard that before. I say, 'Well, at least I have an issue, and frankly it is an issue that touches so many parts of our life,'" Tancredo said. "You want to talk about education? I will talk to you about the cost of educating the children of illegal aliens. You want to talk about our health care problems? I will talk to you about the 86 hospitals that have shut down because they can no longer afford to provide free treatment for illegal aliens that have overwhelmed them. You want to talk about national security? How secure do you think it is to have our borders be porous and people come through at their desire, not because we say they can?"

In addition to issues such as education, health care and homeland security, Tancredo said that when making decisions about immigration, American culture is at stake.

"There is something happening in this country, I call it the ‘cult of multiculturalism' – it's this constant desire to put down everything that is part of our heritage," Tancredo said. "It started years ago with college professors who started pushing this idea of cultural relativism."

Tancredo stressed the importance of retaining a distinct American identity and teaching U.S. students to be proud of it, calling it crucial to "confronting the threat of radical Islam."

"Unless we know who we are, we will never be able to defend ourselves in this clash of civilizations," he said.

To that end, Tancredo said that the United States will continue to accept any immigrant, as it has historically, who is willing to be a part of -- and contribute to -- American society. "When people come here I ask one thing: 'Are you willing to assimilate?'"

"The English language is the glue that holds this country together," Tancredo said. "Bilingual countries don't work well. Multicultural countries do not work well. When people come to the United States, they need to become Americans."

In addition to reinforcing border security and keeping individuals from coming to the U.S. illegally in the future, Tancredo said that amnesty for those who are already here would be a mistake.

"The idea of citizenship should have meaning, we can't just hand it out like the prize in a Cracker Jack box," he said. "The United States is distinct and separate; it is not part of Mexico, it is not part of Canada, and it is not going to be part of some sort of North American Union."

That message resonated with Muscatine high school student Samantha Wozney, who will vote for the first time in 2008.

"I'm interested in what he has to say because he's got different ideas about border control than a lot of other politicians," Wozney said. "I first saw Barack Obama speak and now I want to hear what all of the candidates have to say."

Tancredo is able to position himself as being a conservative but one who is not entirely in line with the current administration and its policies.

"I have been a Republican all my life but I've also been very critical of the leadership of my party on a couple of issues," Tancredo said. "I've been critical of the president, certainly that is true, mostly on this issue of illegal immigration."

The congressman from Denver cited other issues that put him at odds with other Republicans and has kept him from being "invited to have tea at the White House." Namely the No Child Left Behind Act, which Tancredo characterized as encroaching on states' rights, and the Medicare/Prescription Drug Bill, which Tancredo called the greatest growth of government since the creation of Medicare, has created a divide between Republicans loyal to the president and himself.

Deb Miller, a native of Muscatine and a single mother who said she has never followed politics before, plans to support Tancredo in his bid for the presidency.

"I am such a huge fan of his because he is not a wishy-washy, flip-flopper, poll-taking lukewarm politician," Miller said. "He'll tell you straightforward his opinion. You can like it or not but at least you'll know where he stands and I really respect that."

Craig here:
When you come to America, become an American. Wow! What a concept! Seems reasonable to me.