Originally Posted by
04CompG
Deport 2 million illegal immigrants who committed crimes
There are 2 million people who are here who have committed crimes. They have to be rounded up and deported. We're all basically in agreement there are humanitarian situations. It varies with how long they've been here, et cetera. We are all committed to carrying out the mandate of the American people, which is a national security issue, which is securing the borders. That was part of the original proposal, but the American people didn't trust or have confidence in us that we would do it.
Source: 2008 Republican debate at Reagan Library in Simi Valley Jan 30, 2008
Would no longer push his own 2006 immigration proposal
Q: Your 2006 immigration proposal was much broader and included a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who were already here. At this point, if your original proposal came to a vote on the Senate floor, would you vote for it?
A: No, it would not, because we know what the situation is today. So to say that that would come to the floor of the Senate, it won't. We went through various amendments which prevented that proposal. We will secure the borders first when I am president. I know how to d that. I come from a border state, where we know about building walls, and vehicle barriers, and sensors, and all of the things necessary. I will have the border state governors certify the borders are secured. Then we will move onto the other aspects of this issue, as importantly as tamper-proof biometric documents, which then, unless an employer hires someone with those documents, that employer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. That will cause a lot of people to leave voluntarily.
Source: 2008 Republican debate at Reagan Library in Simi Valley Jan 30, 2008