Howard Phillips on Immigration 2000 Constitution Party Nominee for President

No amnesty & no welfare for immigrants

PHILLIPS: I disagree with Harry. I oppose amnesty for illegal aliens. My grandparents were immigrants to this country. I thank God that when they came, they were required to be self-supporting. They could not have gotten in if they posed a health problem. They had to learn how to speak English. The real problem is welfare. As long as people are coming to the United States to stick their hand into the federal cookie jar, they’re coming for the wrong reasons.

BROWNE: The distinction is very clear, as Howard puts it. But the answer is to shut down the welfare state. Shut down the welfare state and people will filter themselves out. They will only come here when they’re looking for the land of opportunity.

Tighten borders and subsidies to illegal immigrants

Phillips supports the following principles regarding imigration:
• Decrease the number of immigrants allowed into the country
• Children of illegal immigrants, born in the US, should not automatically receive US citizenship
• Establish English as the official national language
• Support the separation of the INS into two bureaus: one administering naturalization and one administering border patrol.