Herman Cain on Immigration Republican Businessman & Talk-Show Host; 2011 GOP frontrunner

Insecure border is a national security threat

1. We know that terrorists have come into this country by way of Mexico.
2. 40% of the people in Mexico, according to a survey, already believe that their country is a failed state.
3. The number of people killed in Mexico last year equals the number of people killed in Afghanistan and Iraq combined.

1. Secure the border for real.
2. Enforce the laws that are already there. We don't need new laws.
3. Promote the current path to citizenship. Clean up the bureaucracy in Washington, D.C. so people can come through the front door instead of sneaking in the side door.
4. Deal with the illegals that are already here, empower the states to do what the federal government is not capable of doing.

Yes on fence, no on electrifying it

CAIN: Allow me to give a serious answer. Yes, I believe we should secure the border for real, and it would be a combination of a fence, technology, as well as possibly boots on the ground for some of the more dangerous areas. I don't apologize at all for wanting to protect the American citizens and to protect our agents on the border, no. Secondly, I believe in: let's solve the whole problem. We must shut the back door so people can come in the front door. Secondly, promote the existing path to citizenship by cleaning up the bureaucracy in Washington, D.C. Thirdly, enforce the laws--the immigration laws that are already on the books. And empower the states to do what the federal government is not doing in terms of enforcing those laws.

Secure the border with more boots on the ground

Secondly, let's promote the path to citizenship that's already there. We don't need a new one, we just need to clean up the bureaucracy that's slowing the process down and discouraging people.

The third thing we need to do, enforce the laws that are there, and the way we do it, empower the states. I believe that the people closest to the problem are the best ones to be able to solve that problem. Empower the states to do what the federal government hasn't done, can't do, and won't do. This is how we solve the entire problem.

We have a path to citizenship: it's called legal immigration

A: America has got to learn how to take a joke. But allow me to give you my real solution to the immigration problem. I happen to believe that is four problems.

1. Yes, we must secure the border with whatever means necessary.
2. Enforce the laws that are there.
3. Promote the path to citizenship that's already there. We have a path to citizenship for illegal aliens. It's called legal immigration.
4. And then, I happen to agree with empowering the states and allow them to deal with that issue. If we work on the right problem, we will be able to solve it.

Not right to sue Arizona for trying to protect themselves

• Guiding principle #1: Do the right thing. It was not right to sue the state of Arizona when they were simply trying to protect themselves. You will always be able to count on Herman Cain to do what is right.
• Guiding principle #2: We have got to lead this nation from an entitlement society to an empowerment society, by getting government out of the way. We've got to empower states to do what states do best: to solve the people's problems at the state level. Empowerment, not entitlement
• Guiding principle #3: It's not about us. We have to defend the life of the unborn. We must defend those principles that this nation was founded upon.

Secure our borders; enforce our laws

Americans do resent, however, the willingness of some to circumvent our laws and enter our nation illegally. While many, if not most, illegal immigrants are peaceful people simply seeking to provide for their families, some are not. In fact, some are quite dangerous, jeopardizing the safety and well-being of American citizens.

Illegal immigration also puts a tremendous strain on America's entitlement and health care systems. In fact, several hospitals in the U.S. have declared bankruptcy as a result of the costs of caring for illegal immigrants.

We must secure our borders, enforce our laws and promote the existing path to citizenship.

Where's the fence? Not in the Immigration Bill!

The Immigration Bill was supposed to be good compromise legislation. It is just bad legislation with different agendas glued together, while not emphasizing enough of the public's number one priority - the fence! Not just wire, wood and concrete, but all the technologies we have available to stop the rampant inflow of illegal aliens into this country.