Mike Huckabee's Immigration positions
Mike Huckabee is rising in the polls – leading in at least one poll in Iowa, and second nationally in the most recent Rasmussen Tracking Poll. Consequently, he is coming under increasing attack.
One target of critics is Immigration. Governor’s Huckabee’s record has been distorted – particularly in terms of “scholarships for illegal immigrants” - and his positions have been ignored or even misrepresented.
Here are some of the things he is actually calling for:
He says our borders must be secure.
He supports the $3 billion the Senate has voted for border security.
He opposes amnesty and sanctuaries for illegal aliens.
He opposes giving driver’s licenses to illegal aliens (as was proposed by Governor Spitzer in New York).
He believes that employers who hire illegal aliens should be punished with fines and penalties.
He opposes the economic integration of North America that would create open borders among the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
So his positions are pretty clear.
As for the issue of illegal immigrants getting tuition in Arkansas, the facts are different than his opponents are implying.
There was a bill in 2005 that would've given children of illegal immigrant the lower in-state tuition rates offered to other Arkansas students. There was also an academic merit-based state scholarship that would've been able to apply for if they met the criteria.
But the children of Illegal immigrants had to have gone through the Arkansas school system, and had to have the ability to pay instate tuition rates for college education.
Further, the proposed law contained a clause that said those children who accepted the lower tuition would have to file an affidavit stating that they intended to legalize their immigration status.
Thus, if enacted, the law would have affected a limited number of such students, not the large numbers of students Governor Huckabee’s opponents have tried to imply.
The law did not pass anyway.
When challenged at the You Tube Debate about the issue by Mitt Romney, Huckabee replied, "In all due respect, we're a better country than to punish children for what their parents did. We're a better country than that."
I respect his compassion.
One target of critics is Immigration. Governor’s Huckabee’s record has been distorted – particularly in terms of “scholarships for illegal immigrants” - and his positions have been ignored or even misrepresented.
Here are some of the things he is actually calling for:
He says our borders must be secure.
He supports the $3 billion the Senate has voted for border security.
He opposes amnesty and sanctuaries for illegal aliens.
He opposes giving driver’s licenses to illegal aliens (as was proposed by Governor Spitzer in New York).
He believes that employers who hire illegal aliens should be punished with fines and penalties.
He opposes the economic integration of North America that would create open borders among the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
So his positions are pretty clear.
As for the issue of illegal immigrants getting tuition in Arkansas, the facts are different than his opponents are implying.
There was a bill in 2005 that would've given children of illegal immigrant the lower in-state tuition rates offered to other Arkansas students. There was also an academic merit-based state scholarship that would've been able to apply for if they met the criteria.
But the children of Illegal immigrants had to have gone through the Arkansas school system, and had to have the ability to pay instate tuition rates for college education.
Further, the proposed law contained a clause that said those children who accepted the lower tuition would have to file an affidavit stating that they intended to legalize their immigration status.
Thus, if enacted, the law would have affected a limited number of such students, not the large numbers of students Governor Huckabee’s opponents have tried to imply.
The law did not pass anyway.
When challenged at the You Tube Debate about the issue by Mitt Romney, Huckabee replied, "In all due respect, we're a better country than to punish children for what their parents did. We're a better country than that."
I respect his compassion.
Labels: Huckabee
posted by A Secular Franciscan | 8:40 PM
3 Comments:
If the list of candidates to choose from was a line of port-o-potties outside a concert, Huckabee would be the one overflowing with diarrhea.
If you want a real candidate with real values, then you want Hillary Clinton. Just trust me.
I hope your response is not indicative of the kind of people Hillary attracts.
I live in New York State. I was even a political reporter for an alternative newspaper. I've seen the way Hillary operarates, and the inconsistency of her values and positions. I would not vote for her.
What does "securing the border" really mean? Destroying our economy here in South Texas? Driving the Lipan Apaches and O'odonom Toolam peoples off their lands? Cutting my access to water (uh... have you ever seen the Rio Grande? It's mostly bluffs).
I'm afraid I'm not impressed with any of the first tier candidates in either the "Party of Wall Street" or the "Wall Street Party" (to borrow from Gore Vidal). Edwards... maybe. Richardson? Well, he's at least a neighbor and knows something about those of us who actually live on the border.
Richard Grabman
http://mexfiles.wordpress.com
(and not a "Blogger user")
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