Illegal immigration threatens not only American society, but Western civilization itself, former Republican presidential candidate and Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo said during an AU College Republicans event last night in the Butler Pavilion.
Tancredo said that while people should celebrate diversity, the current wave of immigrants' resistance to cultural assimilation and learning English endangers the bond of cultural unity that holds America together.
Hal Steinberg, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences who attended the event and interned last summer with the New Sanctuary Movement, a faith-based coalition that provides hospitality to immigrants, said the immigration policies Tancredo advocates do not fully take into account immigrant lifestyles.
"I believe he deeply cares about the unity of American society, but he is misplaced in his understanding of what both legal and undocumented immigrants have in connection to this country," Steinberg said.
Tancredo said he ran for president in order to bring the issue of illegal immigration to the forefront of the Republican presidential debates.
"Never did I operate under the illusion that I would be president," he said. "It was more an attempt to influence the debate than to achieve the goal."
The five-term congressman bowed out of the Republican presidential primaries when he felt his focus on illegal immigration made fellow Republican contenders become more outspoken on the issue. Tancredo said he is not seeking re-election because he feels he has met his goal of persuading both Republicans and Democrats to take stronger stands against illegal immigration.
AU College Republicans President Will Haun said Tancredo's characterization of the threats of illegal immigration is "spot on."
"One of the points he made is very straightforward: When the laws are enforced, they work," Haun said. "We need to go back to when we weren't afraid of following the rules and, in doing so, realize that our rules are not just arbitrary fiats handed down by the government but are representative of one of Western society's cornerstone values - the rule of law."
Tancredo said that Arizona Sen. John McCain, who all but sealed the Republican presidential nomination with big primary wins Tuesday, must take a stronger stand against illegal immigration if he is to best serve America.
"I think he has to publicly vow to not sign any piece of legislation that is designed to provide amnesty in any form," Tancredo said.
