RAN 9/14 Wilson takes aim at illegal immigrants Says denying them benefits will prompt them to `self-deport.' By DARREN GARNICK Telegraph Staff
Take away social service programs from illegal immigrants and most will voluntarily say goodbye to the United States, California Gov. Pete Wilson said Wednesday. "I think a number (of them) will self-deport," Wilson said during a meeting with editors and reporters at The Telegraph. "I think if people find they cannot work legally ... If they cannot secure anything except emergency health care for children and if their children cannot be educated here, I think many of them will self-deport," he said. Wilson, who has adopted the Statue of Liberty as the symbol of his Republican presidential campaign, is running on the theme that there is a "right way and a wrong way" to come to America. His home state recently passed Proposition 187, a statute prohibiting the use of tax dollars for taking care of illegal immigrants. "Congress should step up to their responsibility because the Constitution assigns immigration to the federal government as its exclusive responsibility . . . What has happened is the federal government has failed abysmally in its constitutional duty to secure the border," Wilson said. "The Republican candidate said the illegal immigration issue is not confined to California, Texas and Florida. He said states such as New York, Illinois and New Jersey recently joined him in suing Uncle Sam for reimbursement for illegal immigrant-related costs. "Those are not exactly border states," he said. Wilson insisted his vision to beef up the U.S. Border Patrol does not conflict with his "shrinking government" ideology. "To do so (expand the border police) would cost far less than it would cost the states to provide these very expensive services for illegal immigrants -- which is in effect rewarding them for violating the law," he said. Wilson's immigration stance has been met with protest demonstrations throughout the country. Continuing to press an issue that dogged Wilson during his 1994 re-election campaign, the California Democratic Party on Wednesday called Wilson a hypocrite for allegedly not paying Social Security taxes on his Mexican maid. "Today marks 131 days of you taking the Fifth (Amendment), after acknowledging that you had employed Josefina Delgado Klag (an illegal maid) for three years (April 1978-Feb. 1981)," wrote Democratic Party spokesman Bob Mulholland in a Sept. 13 letter to Wilson distributed to the press. "(You) announced that you were doing a complete review of all your hirings of domestic help. Where's the report?" Mulholland has dubbed the controversy "Maidgate." Addressing other issues Wednesday, Wilson: Said he is not flustered by a Los Angeles Times poll this week concluding that only 23 percent of Californians want him to run for president. "In a way, it's sort of a left-handed compliment," Wilson shrugged. "They think I'm a good governor." Defended the practice of offering minimum wage service jobs in the place of welfare benefits. "Not everybody is going to be technologically qualified . . . People turn up their noses at what they term a `McJob.' You know, McJobs can lead to McManagement and even to McOwnership," he said. "It is a serious disservice for a welfare system to indulge people into saying this job isn't good enough. If it isn't good enough, it will be an incentive for them to get something better. Vowed to resist more defense cuts. "Peace through strength is not just a catchy slogan. It is still the wisest prescription for the avoidance of unnecessary bloodshed," Wilson said. "You want the next Saddam Hussein to be persuaded not to try to pick a fight because he[SO]ll know it will be a mismatch." -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Telegraph The daily newspaper for Nashua and P.O. Box 1008 Southern New Hampshire since 1832. Nashua, NH 03061 (603) 882-2741 Newsroom fax: (603) 882-2681 ===========================================================================