2006 CT Senate Debate: on Immigration


Joseph Lieberman: Now it’s too easy to come in across our border

The immigration reform bill that passed is a good bill. It does toughen border security. The truth is now it’s too easy to come over and too many people naturally want to come over to make more money than they can make at home. We expand the number of border agents. We actually authorized the building of fences along many hundreds of miles there, and we increased the penalties against employers who hire illegal immigrants and hire 10,000 new agents to actually enforce those laws.
Source: 2006 Connecticut Democratic Senate Primary debate Jul 6, 2006

Joseph Lieberman: Earn citizenship only after 11 years of waiting within rules

We have got a choice about the 11 million illegals who are here now. You’re either going to try to arrest them and deport them all, which will never happen, or you’re going to give them a path to become citizens or legal. And what they have to do is to work hard, play by the rules, pay their taxes, not violate the law and learn English. And after 11 years waiting in the back of the line, they can become citizens.
Source: 2006 Connecticut Democratic Senate Primary debate Jul 6, 2006

Ned Lamont: Focus on employers hiring, not on building fences

Q: What do we do about illegal immigrants?

A: When it comes to securing our border which so important, you can militarize the border like George Bush says, you can put up fences and walls, but as long as you have employees hiring illegals, people will be coming across the border and looking for a better opportunity for their kids. Under the Bush administration, we have cut down on the number of employer enforcements & that’s why we have a lot of the illegal immigration that we have today.

Source: 2006 Connecticut Democratic Senate Primary debate Jul 6, 2006

Ned Lamont: Give illegal immigrants a path to earned citizenship

I support the Senate immigration bill, as did Sen. Lieberman. We both agree that you have to have comprehensive immigration reform. You’ve got to deal with the folks who are here in this country, the 11 or 12 million people. Give them a path to earn the legal status. I think that’s so important.

I think we have got to be careful about [saying] the guest workers are doing jobs that Americans just won’t do. You pay a decent wage with decent benefits, you’ll find Americans are willing to do these jobs

Source: 2006 Connecticut Democratic Senate Primary debate Jul 6, 2006

  • The above quotations are from 2006 Connecticut Democratic Senate Primary debate, July 2006.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Immigration.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Ned Lamont on Immigration.
  • Click here for more quotes by Joseph Lieberman on Immigration.
Candidates and political leaders on Immigration:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Nov 30, 2018