Pat Buchanan called Wednesday
for expanded security fencing along the southern border with Mexico
as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration.
"The great threat to America, the great crime problem in this
nation, the growing crime problem comes from illegal immigration,"
said Buchanan, a Republican political commentator who is making his third bid for president. "The
administration has done little or nothing about it" and
other Republicans won't talk about it, he added.
He said Texas Gov. George Bush, the front-runner for the GOP
presidential nomination, should take a "more serious view about
illegal immigration into this country."
"I intend to make it a major issue," Buchanan said.
Buchanan pointed to a 14-mile security fence south of San Diego
"which works; it has stopped illegal immigration." He said that
could be expanded to key crossing points where the flood of illegal
immigrants is greatest.
"You don't need a security fence across 2,000 miles of border,
most of which is desert and people come across the border the in
ones or twos and the Border Patrol can deal with them," said
Buchanan. "You need these security fences, triple-line security
fences, along the main border crossings where they run in in the
hundreds and thousands on the weekends."
Buchanan said that in addition to fencing in "six or seven
border crossings," the Border Patrol could be doubled, and a
tougher policy could be put in place for expelling illegal aliens
apprehended for other crimes.
"You expel anyone who is apprehended," said Buchanan. "I
don't care if it's drunken driving. If there's an illegal alien,
get him back where he belongs."
Buchanan made his comments during a taping of Iowa Public
Television's "Iowa Press" program to be aired on Sunday. He was
hammering at illegal immigration in his latest campaign swing in
Iowa, where precinct caucuses launch the nominating season.
"All of these issues are directly due to a bleeding open border
where criminals can walk back and forth into the United States,"
said Buchanan.
"This country has treaties to defend the borders of 50
countries around the world and we're not even defending the borders
of the United States of America," he added.
Buchanan has long hammered the immigration theme. At one point
in his 1996 bid, he went to the security fence south of San Diego
to dramatize his point.
Some strategists have argued that Republicans make a tactical
error hammering on illegal immigration because the practice runs
the risk of offending Hispanics, one of the fastest growing ethnic
voting groups in the country.
Bush avoids immigrant-bashing and pointedly includes a few
lines in Spanish in his stump speech.
That drew scorn from Buchanan.
"First, I wish the governor of Texas would take a more serious
view about illegal immigration into this country and the problem it
presents for American citizens," said Buchanan. "It's nice that
he walks around speaking Spanish, a few words, but in my judgment
he ought to deal with that problem."
In addition, Buchanan rejected suggestions he was bashing
immigrants, saying many in the Hispanic community agree with his
views on illegal immigration.
"We're all children of immigrants, but we all have the right to
protection in what is our own country," said Buchanan.
