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Tom Tancredo (R)
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Candidates'
positions on issues are fluid; expect changes. The information below reflects
the best efforts of ABI thus far to reflect the true stances and past actions.
If you see an error or have additional information, e-mail
us as soon as possible. |
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Candidate withdrew on December 20, 2007
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Campaign Website: http://www.teamtancredo.org/ Contact Information: 501 Church Street, Suite 202 Vienna, VA 22180 Tel. (703) 255-9898 Fax. (703) 255-9899 info@tancredo.org |
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Amnesty/Permanent Legalization for Illegal Aliens |
OFFICIAL STANCE ON AMNESTY: There is no doubt that America is facing an illegal immigration crisis. Currently, there are at least 12 million illegal aliens living in America. I am absolutely opposed to amnesty. In addition to rewarding those who broke our laws, amnesties simply do not solve the problem of illegal immigration. The only realistic solution to the problem of illegal immigration is a strategy of attrition, which seeks to reduce the flow of the illegal alien population over time by cutting off the incentives for coming to and staying in America - most importantly by eliminating the jobs magnet. TeamTancredo.org  |
2007: Signed Anti-Amnesty Letter to Speaker of the House Pelosi  "'Amnesty is lousy because it’s terrible public policy. All the people who come here the right way, what does it tell them?' he asked. 'If you spend time and energy and money to do it the right way and we give the same thing that you’ve just earned, this thing called citizen ship to anybody who came across the border ... we do that and it makes a mockery of the system and it’s a slap in the face of people who do it the right way.' July 23, 2007; Newton Daily News (Iowa)
“The American people are dead-set against amnesty and no amount of slick repackaging or creative euphemisms are going to change that ... It’s time politicians stop trying to subvert public opinion and to start responding to it,” said Tancredo. “One place to start is to take the unprecedented step of actually enforcing our existing immigration laws – something I call ‘Plan A.’” June 8, 2007; Rep. Tancredo press release
"We now have something to look at, historically speaking. The Simpson-Mazzoli Act in 1986 was almost exactly the same sort of situation, where we had massive illegal immigration—not quite as massive as what we’ve got [now], but relatively speaking as massive—we had the calls for amnesty, with the promise that if we provided that amnesty—essentially guest workers, creating a huge legalized work force, a cheap labor work force—if we were to do that, we were promised that there would be worksite enforcement, that Mexico would work with us to try to stem the flow of illegal aliens, and our problems would be solved. That was twenty years ago. Of course we know that we did not just give amnesty to one million people—at the time that was the number given—we gave it to three million and we ended up with between fifteen and twenty million illegal aliens twenty years later. The reason you have to have the enforcement part first is because I don’t trust the administration to ever do the enforcement part if you give them any sort of guest worker opportunity." July 24, 2006; Council on Foreign Relations interview |
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION |
| OFFICIAL STANCE ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: The only realistic solution to the problem of illegal immigration is a strategy of attrition, which seeks to reduce the flow of the illegal alien population over time by cutting off the incentives for coming to and staying in America - most importantly by eliminating the jobs magnet. TeamTancredo.org |
2005-2006: Cosponsoring H.R. 3938 to increase interior enforcement
"'I have a solution,' he told a Friday night crowd of about 100 at the Quality Inn in downtown Des Moines. 'It's a radical one. Scary. Enormously controversial.' Then he paused and spaced his words for effect. 'It's called: Enforce … the … law.'" July 5, 2007; The Los Angeles Times |
LEGAL IMMIGRATION |
| OFFICIAL STANCE ON LEGAL IMMIGRATION: America must also reexamine its legal immigration policies. Since 1990, that number has been roughly one million yearly - and that doesn't count illegal aliens. America should reduce legal immigration to 250,000 people a year, which will allow the newcomers to assimilate. TeamTancredo.org |
"Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon) boasted that 'I built that border fence in San Diego' and promised that, as president, he would fence off the entire border in six months." November 30, 2007; The Los Angeles Times |
CHAIN MIGRATION |
| OFFICIAL STANCE ON CHAIN MIGRATION: NONE |
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2005-2006: Cosponsoring H.R. 3938 to reduce chain migration Rep. Tancredo is a cosponsor of H.R. 3938 to reduce chain migration by eliminating the Family 4th Preference category which allots 65,000 visas each year to the siblings of adult U.S. citizens. Click here for more CHAIN MIGRATION actions. |
VISA LOTTERY |
| OFFICIAL STANCE ON THE VISA LOTTERY: NONE |
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2005: Voted for H.R. 4437 to eliminate visa lottery on floor of House Rep. Tancredo voted in favor of final passage of H.R. 4437 which included a provision to eliminate the visa lottery that each year awards 55,000 visas on a random basis. H.R. 4437 was passed by the House by a vote of 239 to 182. Click here for more VISA LOTTERY actions. |
CONTROLLING FOREIGN WORKERS/ PROTECTING U.S. WORKERS |
| OFFICIAL STANCE ON FOREIGN AND U.S. WORKERS: NONE |
| 2005-2006: Cosponsoring H.R. 3700 to reduce foreign-worker visas Rep. Tancredo is a cosponsor of H.R. 3700 to reduce employment based immigrants to 5,200. Click here for more FOREIGN WORKER actions. |
CITIZENSHIP FOR ILLEGAL ALIEN'S BABIES |
| OFFICIAL STANCE ON CITIZENSHIP FOR ILLEGAL ALIEN BABIES: NONE |
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2005-2006: Cosponsoring H.R. 3938 to end birthright citizenship Rep. Tancredo is a cosponsor of H.R. 3938 to eliminate birthright citizenship, the process that automatically grants citizenship to the estimated 250,000 U.S.-born children of illegal aliens each year. Click here for more BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP actions. How do you understand the first part of our Fourteenth Amendment? "I’ll tell you what - it has absolutely nothing to do with illegal immigration. It was a response to the Dred Scott Decision. It was made entirely for the purpose of assuring that children of slaves would have benefit of citizenship and it has nothing to do with illegal immigrants [anchor babies]. There’s specific wording in there, which would indicate, ah, the case. I think the phrase is, ah, 'people have be in the United States and under the jurisdiction thereof.'" July 31, 2007; Family Security Matters interview |
MANDATORY WORKPLACE VERICATION OF WORKERS |
| OFFICIAL STANCE ON WORKPALCE VERIFICATION: NONE |
2007: Has not cosponsored the SAVE Act (Secure America with Verification Enforcement) which would require all employers verify employment eligibility for all employees through the E-Verify program (formerly the Basic Pilot program).
2006: Voted to increase interior enforcement by funding workplace verification |
EMPLOYERS WHO HIRE ILLEGAL ALIENS |
| OFFICIAL STANCE ON ENFORCING THE LAW AGAINST EMPLOYERS: NONE |
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As president, what is the first thing you would do? "I’d turn to my Attorney General and tell him that he should begin a vigorous enforcement of the law against hiring people who are here illegally. Employers who are violating the law I’d want to be one of the top priorities." July 31, 2007; Family Security Matters interview
In a letter to Julie Myers, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant secretary, Tancredo, R-Littleton, commended Myers for her leadership in the Swift & Company raids, and asked her to expand ICE’s operations to other industries. “I have already publicly commended DHS and ICE for conducting this work site enforcement at Swift,” said Tancredo, Chairman of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus. “This kind of enforcement action by ICE has been sorely missing over the past decade and I urge you to expand such operations to other industries.” December 19, 2006; Denver Daily News What do you see as the most effective enforcement type tools that can stem this surge [of illegal aliens]? "Employer sanctions, undeniably. Employers today create the magnet that draws millions of people into the country illegally. The fact that we do nothing about it encourages, of course, more people to do it, which continues the circle." So going after the employers, then, leaves this pool of illegal immigrants facing a decision of work or go home? "Correct. That’s it, if they can’t get a job, they really don’t have many other options. If you came here for a job, then the thing for which you came is not available, large numbers will go home. I don’t know how many. Then, those who don’t go home you have to deport because that’s the law." July 24, 2006; Council on Foreign Relations interview |
LOCAL ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAWS |
| OFFICIAL STANCE ON LOCAL ENFORCEMENT: NONE |
| Please email information. |
ENTRY-EXIT SYSTEM |
| OFFICIAL STANCE ON ENTRY-EXIT SYSTEM: NONE |
| Please email information. |
BORDER SECURITY |
| OFFICIAL STANCE ON BORDER SECURITY: NONE |
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During the CNN/YouTube debate that aired on November 28, 2007, the Republican candidates for president were asked to answer the question, "Will you pledge to veto amnesty for illegal immigrants?" "Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon) boasted that 'I built that border fence in San Diego' and promised that, as president, he would fence off the entire border in six months." November 30, 2007; The Los Angeles Times "'I absolutely believe that a fence is necessary to protect [us] from the invasion that’s occurring,' Tancredo said. 'It’s really three layers of defense,' he added, describing a 15-feet-high metal fence, curved at its top, with wire, then a patrol road, and then another fence (similar to what is described in the EIS). Tancredo said the fence would have to be 'sensored' — to detect ruptures, ladders, and even whether someone is trying to dig under it. 'I’d go the length of the (U.S.-Mexico) border, and then I’d start on the northern border and go as far as possible,' he said." November 19, 2007; The Texas Observer |
SANCTUARY CITIES |
| OFFICIAL STANCE ON SANCTUARY CITIES: NONE |
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"The only 'realistic solution' to illegal immigration is a strategy of attrition, he has said. He would cut off the incentives for coming to and staying in America, by going after employers. Criminal cases should be brought against sanctuary cities, he has said." July 16, 2007; Des Moines Register (Iowa)
"What the San Francisco Mayor has decreed is a clear and direct violation of the law,” said Tancredo. “This is an opportunity for the Attorney General to regain the confidence of the public by taking action to make sure that this rogue mayor doesn’t make a mockery of our justice system ... “Federal law plainly prohibits cities from enacting such policies or behaving in this manner. Now that Mr. Newsom has made it crystal clear that he intends to flaunt federal law, I would like to know what actions the Justice Department will take to enforce compliance with the law.” April 24, 2007; Rep. Tancredo press release announcing a letter he sent to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales demanding that he enforce federal law in the wake of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s declaration of San Francisco as a so-called 'sanctuary city.' |
DRIVER'S LICENSES FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS |
| OFFICIAL STANCE ON DRIVER'S LICENSES FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS: NONE |
| Please email information. |
IN-STATE TUITION |
| OFFICIAL STANCE ON IN-STATE TUITION: NONE |
| Please email information. |
GENERAL
INFORMATION |
Tom Tancredo, a lifelong Coloradan and native of Denver, represents Colorado’s 6th Congressional district. |
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w w w . b e t t e r i m m i g r a t i o n . c o m |  |
Rep. Tancredo discuss immigration issues via