Texas Gubernatorial Race 2006: Immigration/Border Security
Republican Rick Perry:
- National Guard ordered to the border.
- Provided millions of dollars to help border sheriffs increase patrols.
- Used state troopers, SWAT teams, canine units, etc. to stop illegal activity on the border.
- Hidden surveillance cameras that will broadcast via internet activity on the border.
- Wants $100 million to continue funding border security.
Democrat Chris Bell:
- National Guard deployed along the border.
- Crack down on illegal hiring.
- Reject policies that drive immigrants further underground and that provide incentives to enter the U.S. illegally.
- No blanket amnesty for illegal immigrants already in the U.S.
- Offer pathway to earn citizenship for illegals already in the U.S. - pay a fine, pay all back taxes, learn English.
Independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn:
- "Secure Texas Plan" puts Texas Rangers in charge of Texas counterterrorism and security activities.
- National Guard to be deployed along the border.
- "Adamantly opposed to illegal immigration."
Independent Kinky Friedman:
- Increase the number of Texas National Guard troops on the border.
- Impose fines on companies that hire illegal immigrants.
- Foreign nationals seeking employment must purchase a foreign taxpaer ID card once they have passed a criminal background check.
- Will coordinate with governors of New Mexico and Arizona to curb illegal immigration.
Libertarian James Werner:
- "Free movement of free peoples."
- Lobby for more rational and humane immigration policies.
- Opposes any and all government aid or handouts to new immigrants.
- Anyone who wants into the United States should be allowed in with the exception of known criminals or those with ties to criminal or terrorist organizations.
- Open border policy with respect to workers.
- Calls himself the "only pro-immigration candidate."
1 comment:
Well, I wouldn't go nuts saying that Kinky is a GOP hack just yet. Sure he's not a west-coast liberal, but he's not dubya either. I don't necessarily hold it against him that he voted for Bush/Cheney in '04. It was still unclear that they were as incompetent as they are at that point.
And I can ignore most of his ideas on illegal immigration, since that's more of a federal question.
I'd just as soon not send the National Guard to the border, though. The Guard has been way too active lately. If we want to use the guard for border security, we need to reduce their combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. The guard is an emergency force, who are to be called up to rapidly supplement the active duty forces while we ramp up recruitment.
To still be using Guard troops now, 5 years after 9/11, is a fundamental misuse of the Guard.
We should have been recruiting active duty replacements from the get-go. So until we can stop deploying the Guard in active duty positions, we need to let them spend their state-side time doing something other than sitting on the border doing law enforcement. The Army is for killing bad guys, not arresting people. That's what the police are for.
-D
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