In Republican circles, immigration is just too big an issue for a presidential candidate to ignore completely, but Rudy Giuliani’s record on the issue makes it almost impossible for him to have any credibility with the GOP’s far-right base.<\/p>\n
In this latest TV ad, Giuliani insists he’ll provide “leadership” to “end” illegal immigration.”<\/p>\n
“People are frustrated over immigration because the government has been talking about solving this for 20 or 25 years, and it’s just gotten worse. What we need here is leadership. Build a fence. Train the border patrol. Have a BorderStat system. Have a tamper-proof ID card. And then if you become a citizen you have to be able to read English, write English, speak English and understand American civics. We can end illegal immigration. The technology exists to do it; the people exist to do it. Now we need the political leadership and will to get it done.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
For voters who consider immigration one of their top issues, chances are, Giuliani isn’t really a credible candidate anyway. But therein lies the point: there’s just no reason for Giuliani to even try to make a pitch like this. It’s just too easy to point to his record and make him appear foolish.<\/p>\n
In the ad, Giuliani emphasizes exactly how he would “end” illegal immigration. As mayor, he said the opposite<\/a>: “We’re never, ever going to be able to totally control immigration to a country that is as large as ours, that has borders that are as diverse as the borders of the United States, and as a society that wants to be a country that values freedom — that values freedom of movement, freedom to do business…So we just have to accept that if we want to be the kind of country that we are.”<\/p>\n
There’s also this classic<\/a> from Giuliani’s tenure: “If you come here and you work hard and you happen to be in an undocumented status, you’re one of the people who we want in this city.”<\/p>\n
Today, the Romney campaign dug up perhaps the most damaging Giuliani quote yet on the issue.
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\nIt’s been making the rounds on several sites today, but if you haven’t seen it, Giuliani takes a decidedly liberal approach<\/a> to undocumented workers.<\/p>\n“The city of New York, quite frankly, is quite tolerant of undocumented immigration and this shouldn’t surprise you because I’ve been the mayor for a long time and outspoken on this issue even nationally, and I happen to agree with that. I think NYC should not deal with undocumented immigrants in a harsh way. I think they make a big contribution to the life of the city and we’re much better off being sensible and practical about it.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n