Republican debate touches on immigration

Ten Republican presidential hopefuls met last night in a debate remembered for the constant mentioning of Ronald Reagan and some differing over President Bush’s policies. Regarding the latter, several of the candidates commented over the issue of immigration (via Forbes):

John McCain-

“The status quo is not acceptable. We have to secure our borders. But we also need a temporary worker program, and we have to dispose of the issue of 12 million people who are in this country illegally. This issue is an important and compelling one, and it begins with national security. But we also need to address it comprehensively."

Tom Tancredo-

“No more platitudes, no more obfuscating with using words like, 'Well, I am not for amnesty, but I am for letting them stay.' That kind of stuff has got to be taken away from the political debate, as far as I'm concerned, so people can understand exactly who is where on this incredibly important issue.”

Duncan Hunter-

“Right now, the border is 2,000 miles of a very porous area where hundreds of thousands of people come across on an annual basis…Some from communist China, some from Iran, some from Korea. We have to secure the border. That's the biggest failure of the federal government."

Ron Paul-

“The purpose of government is to protect the secrecy and the privacy of all individuals, not the secrecy of government. We don't need a national ID card.”

Meanwhile, the immigration debate in Congress may heat up as Democrats are considering introducing their own proposal.

Links- Guardian UK, Bloomberg, Forbes

Image- CNN