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Thompson: Cut Funding To 'Sanctuary' Cities, States

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The Associated Press

Published: October 24, 2007

NAPLES - Republican Fred Thompson said Tuesday that the government should yank federal dollars from cities and states that don't report illegal immigrants.

In his first major policy proposal, Thompson challenged presidential rivals Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney by criticizing 'sanctuary cities,' where city workers are barred from reporting suspected illegal immigrants who enroll their children in school or seek hospital treatment.

'Taxpayer money should not be provided to illegal immigrants,' Thompson said at a round-table discussion that included Collier County Sheriff Don Hunter.

Thompson has argued his rivals are soft on illegal immigration because Giuliani, as New York mayor, sued the federal government to keep his city's sanctuary policy and because Romney tolerated sanctuary cities as Massachusetts' governor.

In turn, Giuliani's campaign accused Thompson of being weak on the issue. At a news conference Tuesday in Boston, Giuliani said, 'I'm the one who can bring about immigration reform.'

The immigration issue is important to many conservatives who influence Republican primaries. Some argue that illegal immigrants are straining schools and hospitals and taking jobs from U.S. citizens.

Thompson chose to announce his plan in Collier County, which has vast tomato farms that hire thousands of immigrants and last year was part of a two-county sweep that saw 163 illegal immigrants arrested in one weekend.

Thompson's campaign said 22 percent of the county's crime is committed by illegal immigrants.

To the sheriff, Thompson said, 'You've clearly been swamped with a particular kind of problem because the federal government, in large part, has let you down and has not done their part.'

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