Opposes deputizing citizens to arrest immigrants
Americans should not be attempting to make citizen’s arrests of illegal aliens, said Illinois Sen. Barack Obama at a Democratic debate sponsored by National Public Radio on Tuesday.
As president, he wouldn’t “deputize a whole bunch of American citizens to start grabbing people and turning them in,” he said when asked about the 12 million undocumented workers in the U.S.
His comments came after a debate moderator mentioned an Iowa town where residents have both arrested and protected illegals.
It is the task of the federal government, not citizens, to rectify the huge immigration problem, Obama said, adding there should be stronger penalties for employers who hire illegals and significant security at the borders.All of the other candidates attending the debate agreed, including Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel.
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