'We are going to secure our borders'

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Photo: GERRY PATE
U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., right, chats with Gov. Mark Sanford Thursday during a Spartanburg County Republican Party rally at GOP headquarters on East Main Street. Tancredo told about 150 people that the United States must take a stand against illegal immigration.
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Call it the hard line according to Tom Tancredo. The Colorado congressman tossed out tough talk on illegal immigration that has become his trademark during a stop in Spartanburg Thursday night.

"We are going to take on this issue of illegal immigration, and we are going to secure our borders, and we're going to do it come hell or high water," Tancredo said to a crowd of about 150 Thursday night at the Spartanburg County Republican Party headquarters.

Tancredo, a potential 2008 Republican presidential candidate, made his remarks during a pep rally for the county GOP. Gov. Mark Sanford, who is seeking a second term in the Nov. 7 election, also briefly rallied the troops.

Tancredo said illegal immigration is a threat that must be confronted. He implored those in attendance to question candidates on how they would deal with the issue.

"It's got nothing to do with race, it's got nothing to do with ethnicity and it's got nothing to do with country of origin," Tancredo said. "We are splitting apart at the seams, and it's becoming harder and harder for us to understand and think about who we are and what does it mean to be an American anymore."

Tancredo called out President Bush, saying that Bush is wrong on the issue. He opposes any type of amnesty program and said Bush has not done enough to secure the borders.

He also took a swipe at Sen. Lindsey Graham, saying that South Carolina's senior senator "has become more of a problem to immigration reform than a part of the solution."

Spartanburg County Republican Party Chairman Rick Beltram said he expected Tancredo's comments to be even more reactionary. He said he agrees with Tancredo's stance -- to a point.

"I do believe that we've got to secure our

borders, but I don't see where it's practical to ship back 11 million or 15 million people, or whatever the number is," Beltram said. "For hard-working people who are paying taxes, there should be some sort of registration and a period of probation that leads to citizenship."

Mike Griffin, a Greer resident who moved to South Carolina from California more than 20 years ago, said he sides with Tancredo. Illegal immigrants, he said, should be rounded up and deported.

"It's just a matter of if they want to do so," Griffin said. "It could have been done in California years ago."

Sanford said what to do with illegal immigrants is the big debate at the federal level. He said Tancredo is one of the driving forces behind the debate.

"Because he and some others are making noise, they are forcing action to be taken on securing our borders," Sanford said.

Illegal immigration isn't the only issue on which Tancredo, 60, has taken a hard-line approach. He also voted against sending aid to Hurricane Katrina survivors and against extending the Voting Rights Act.

Tancredo's Spartanburg visit kicked off a five-day tour of South Carolina. The four-term representative faces a challenge from Democrat Bill Winter on Nov. 7. He would not talk about his presidential aspirations.

"I don't want to talk about some other race I might be involved in while I'm involved in this one," he said.

Robert W. Dalton can be reached at 562-7274 or bob.dalton@shj.com.