Sunday on WABC New York’s “The Rita Cosby Show,” Republican presidential candidate former Gov. George Pataki (R-NY) said Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump’s immigration plan of deporting the over 11 million illegal immigrants currently living in the Untied States and then letting the good people back in the country after being screened, and ending birthright citizenship is “un-American, outrageous and Demagogic.”
Pataki said, “I’ll tell you, this is crazy. First we have to secure the border, and know that people come here illegally. But think about the idea. Whether or not it’s Constitutional… Requires a Constitutional Amendment, or, as Marco Rubio said, getting something through Congress. We’re going to send 11 million people back to wherever they came from? It’s just senseless. And by the way, you know, you have a child, 7, 8, 9, 10 years old, born in America, speaks fluent English, never been to Mexico, or wherever his or her parents may have came from, we’re going to send police, or troopers, or soldiers into a classroom? Drag that nine-year-old out of the fourth grade and ship them back to a country they’ve never been? I mean, this, this is not America. It makes no sense. It’s Trump being a demagogue. Yes, Immigration and controlling our borders is an important issue. But to tear America apart, by doing something like this, at a time when we have to focus on growing our economy, and protecting our national security, is just senseless.”
He continued, “Well, he says he’s going to do it! And it’s outrageous and demagogic and I think completely un-American. But it’s not just Trump. I’m disappointed that so many of the other Republicans seeking the nomination won’t stand up to him. Scott Walker basically agrees with him. Others are saying well maybe you can’t get it through Congress. This is not America. Taking an eight or nine-year-old kid from a classroom when they were born and raised here and never been anywhere else and shipping them back is senseless and cruel. And, and yes, I understand the anger towards Washington, and the anger that we’ve had towards government, in both parties, that hasn’t made sure that people have to come here legally when they’re immigrants, but this is just un-American and wrong.”
On Donald Trump’s candidacy he said, ” You know there’s a lot of anger out there. There’s anger about Washington. There’s anger about the fact that this administration has seen America’s standing in the world diminished enormously. There’s anger that the economy isn’t growing in the way it should, and as I said, I understand that anger. But Trump is tapping into that anger in a demagogic way, not offering practical solutions, but angering people further and dividing Americans more. What we have to do is to turn that anger into solutions and to actual policies that are going to take our government back, control our borders, restore America’s confidence in our future and standing in the world and I know I can do that.”
On if Trump is a viable, credible candidate he added, “No. No. I think, you know it’s August of a year before the election. He’s tapped into the anger, in a way that I think is just harsh and wrong. But between now and next year, Americans are going to understand, we actually have someone who can bring us together. Who can take back Washington and solve our problems. I know I can do that, I did it in a very deep blue state, as a conservative Republican. And hopefully, as the dust settles and people start to look a little more seriously about the actual future of our government and our country, they’ll give me a chance to make my case.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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