Richard Tafoya
May 22nd, 2007, 10:52 PM
AP:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070522/mccain-romney
Sen. John McCain challenged other Republican presidential candidates Tuesday to propose their own immigration legislation or stop criticizing the plan he's co-sponsoring.
Rival Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, kept up his criticism of the proposal, which could allow the legalization of most of the nation's 12 million illegal immigrants while increasing border security.
"I think it's a matter of national security," McCain said, "and to do nothing _ to leave the status quo _ would be an abrogation of our responsibilities to the American people."
...
McCain also responded to his opponents' questions about whether he ever employed illegal immigrants as landscapers or in other positions at his large homestead in Arizona.
"No, we did not hire anyone who was in this country illegally, and we made sure we didn't. And you might go back to my opponent's camp and (tell them) we've moved," he joked. "We now live in a condominium, OK? Duh."
McCain got the questions after a jab at Romney on Monday. McCain said Romney's solution to illegal immigration might be "to get out his small varmint gun and drive those Guatemalans off his lawn" _ a reference to reports that several illegal immigrants, including at least one from Guatemala, worked on Romney's two-and-a-half acre property in a Boston suburb for a decade. Romney's aides have said that Romney was not aware of the workers' status, and that the owner of the lawn care company was in the country legally.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070522/mccain-romney
Sen. John McCain challenged other Republican presidential candidates Tuesday to propose their own immigration legislation or stop criticizing the plan he's co-sponsoring.
Rival Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, kept up his criticism of the proposal, which could allow the legalization of most of the nation's 12 million illegal immigrants while increasing border security.
"I think it's a matter of national security," McCain said, "and to do nothing _ to leave the status quo _ would be an abrogation of our responsibilities to the American people."
...
McCain also responded to his opponents' questions about whether he ever employed illegal immigrants as landscapers or in other positions at his large homestead in Arizona.
"No, we did not hire anyone who was in this country illegally, and we made sure we didn't. And you might go back to my opponent's camp and (tell them) we've moved," he joked. "We now live in a condominium, OK? Duh."
McCain got the questions after a jab at Romney on Monday. McCain said Romney's solution to illegal immigration might be "to get out his small varmint gun and drive those Guatemalans off his lawn" _ a reference to reports that several illegal immigrants, including at least one from Guatemala, worked on Romney's two-and-a-half acre property in a Boston suburb for a decade. Romney's aides have said that Romney was not aware of the workers' status, and that the owner of the lawn care company was in the country legally.