Rocky Anderson on Immigration

	Rocky Anderson on Immigration Justice Party challenger for President; former mayor of Salt Lake City

Government and corporations have colluded on immigrant jobs

OBAMA: [Romney] called the Arizona law a model for the nation. Part of the Arizona law said that law enforcement officers could stop folks because they suspected maybe they looked like they might be undocumented workers and check their papers.

ANDERSON: We need to recognize that for decades our government and the corporate sector have acted in collusion, giving a wink and a nod to millions of people to come into this country without legal documentation so that they could fill jobs in certain sectors of our economy. And we owe it to everyone involved never to make these people live in the shadows any longer. We need a compassionate approach, a reasonable approach, not one that calls for the deportation of 12 to 14 million people or to criminalize what they're doing. Those who have lived here legally, otherwise, other than under the immigration laws, need to be given a pathway toward permanent residency and, ultimately, citizenship.

Source: Democracy Now! Expanded Second Obama-Romney 2012 debate , Oct 16, 2012

Most illegal immigrants should be able to stay in the US

Q: When you think about illegal immigration, which of the following solutions come closest to your opinion?

All illegal immigrants should be able to stay in the US legally
Most illegal immigrants should be deported, with some exceptions
All illegal immigrants should be deported

Source: AmericansElect Questionnaire with OnTheIssues.org , Feb 23, 2012

Supports illegal immigrants earning citizenship

Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Illegal immigrants earn citizenship"?

A: Strongly Support

Source: Email interview on presidential race with OnTheIssues.org , Feb 10, 2012

We need major overhaul of our immigration laws

We have proudly advocated on behalf of immigrants and their families -- and for a major overhaul of our immigration laws, recognizing that our federal government and corporate community has, in actuality, invited and enticed undocumented workers to come to the US to work at low-paying jobs and that we, as a nation, have a duty to recognize that fact and the great contributions made by immigrant workers by creating a path toward workers' permits and, eventually, citizenship. That advocacy has resonated nation-wide, as reflected in the recent receipt of the LULAC Profile in Courage Award and the National Association of Hispanic Publications President's Award. Source: Salt Lake Tribune, "Rocky Anderson's Speech" , Jul 28, 2006

Vibrant workers are welcome; roundups are hypocrisy

Anderson said this week's roundup of workers, some of whom had access to highly secured areas, is the height of hypocrisy for the government, which essentially tells illegal workers to "play this little game with us" and then proceeds to prosecute them.

"They are working hard to take care of their families but with the implicit agreement with federal authorities that they will not be rounded up in the workplace," he said.

The rally in front of the City-County Building drew between 150 and 200 friends, family members and supporters of the 271 workers, 69 of whom were arrested. The majority in custody are Hispanic.

Anderson, who emphasized that "vibrant workers are welcome," said he doesn't believe these workers should be made an example of and wants to make certain the practice doesn't spread. He encouraged donations to his office or Centro Civico Mexicano to be used to support the cause.

Source: Liz White in Deseret News, "Illegal workers" , Dec 15, 2001

Click here for definitions & background information on Immigration. Click here for a profile of Rocky Anderson. Click here for VoteMatch responses by Rocky Anderson. Click here for AmericansElect.org quiz by Rocky Anderson.
*Other big-city mayors on Immigration:*	*Rocky Anderson on other issues:*
Tom Barrett (D,Milwaukee) Bill de Blasio (D,NYC) Rahm Emanuel (D,Chicago) Bob Filner (D,San Diego) Steven Fulop (D,Jersey City) Eric Garcetti (D,Los Angeles) Mike Rawlings (D,Dallas) Marty Walsh (D,Boston) *Former Mayors:* Rocky Anderson (I,Salt Lake City) Tom Barrett (D,Milwaukee,WI) Mike Bloomberg (I,New York City) Cory Booker (D,Newark,NJ) Jerry Brown (D,Oakland,CA) Julian Castro (D,San Antonio,TX) Rudy Giuliani (R,New York City) Phil Gordon (D,Phoenix) Tom Menino (D,Boston) Dennis Kucinch (D,Cleveland,OH) Michael Nutter (D,Philadelphia) Sarah Palin (R,Wasilla,AK) Annise Parker (D,Houston) Jerry Sanders (R,San Diego) Antonio Villaraigosa (D,Los Angeles)	Abortion Budget/Economy Civil Rights Corporations Crime Drugs Education Energy/Oil Environment Families/Children Foreign Policy Free Trade Govt. Reform Gun Control Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Infrastructure/Technology Jobs Principles/Values Social Security Tax Reform War/Iraq/Mideast Welfare/Poverty