Huckabee Releases New Plan on Immigration

WASHINGTON — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is charming his way into conservative hearts in his quest for the GOP presidential nomination, may have a major problem: immigration.

In an effort to quash concerns that he is soft on the issue, the ordained Baptist preacher released a nine-point plan this week that calls for fencing the border, eliminating categories of legal immigration and other security measures.

RICK MCKAY/Cox Washington Bureau (enlarge photo) Former Arkansas governor and GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee responds to a question while taking part in POTUS 08 at XM radio in Washington, D.C. Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007.

But some believe the issue could still haunt him, especially Huckabee's support for a bill in Arkansas that would have provided taxpayer-funded scholarships for illegal immigrant children.

Huckabee defended the measure at a recent GOP debate, saying it "would've allowed those children who had been in our schools their entire school life the opportunity to have the same scholarship that their peers had" and that "we're not going to punish a child because the parent committed a crime."

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that advocates stronger immigration controls, said that Huckabee will have to talk a lot about immigration to convince conservatives that he is serious about enforcement.

The challenge is similar to GOP candidate Mitt Romney's quest to persuade primary voters that he is solidly anti-abortion, after previously supporting abortion rights, Krikorian said.

Huckabee's new plan also calls for empowering local police to enforce immigration law, imposing stiff fines on businesses for hiring illegal immigrants, and eliminating a legal immigrant category that allows U.S. citizens to petition for adult siblings.

The plan is based on a list put together by Krikorian in 2005 and published in the National Review, a conservative magazine.

Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, a group that advocates lower levels of immigration, said that Huckabee's record on immigration as governor was "disastrous" but that he has redeemed himself with the new plan and more recent positions.

"We are very, very pleased to see that he has created this new commitment," Beck said.

Huckabee is right on the most important aspects of the immigration debate, Beck said, such as opposing amnesty, supporting local law enforcement efforts to enforce immigration law, and supporting mandatory workplace verification of the legal status of employees.

John J. Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College in California, said that Huckabee's support for giving scholarships to illegal immigrant students will hurt him among GOP voters.

While not all Republican primary voters make immigration their top priority, they are very skeptical about proposals to give aid to illegal immigrants, Pitney said.

He also said Huckabee should prepare for attacks on this and other issues now that he is gaining in the polls.

"Right now ... the other Republican candidates are sifting through his record, looking for information that will damage him among primary voters," Pitney said. "He should expect some tough hits."

Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group which supports a reduction in immigration, said that he strongly opposes any effort to give scholarships, financial aid, or in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.

"When you admit an illegal alien to your state university, you are necessarily saying no to someone else ... there's another kid who's being hurt," Mehlman said.

A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll released this week found that only 12 percent of Americans favor giving in-state college tuition to illegal immigrants.

Showing mixed feelings on the issue, however, the poll also found that a majority — 60 percent — favored giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship if they have no criminal record, learn English and complete other steps. The poll included phone interviews with 1,467 adults nationwide and has a margin of error of three percentage points.

Steffen Schmidt, a political science professor at Iowa State University who is known as "Dr. Politics" on his radio show, said that Huckabee's stance on giving college scholarships to illegal immigrants could hurt him with some voters in the crucial first caucus state of Iowa, but that many will likely ignore it if they like Huckabee for other reasons.

"The GOP caucus goers also include many farmers and business people, contractors, motel owners, service business people, restaurant owners, landscapers, packing plant owners and managers," Schmidt said. "They know we desperately need immigrants, especially in Iowa, where the population is shrinking."

On the Web:

Huckabee campaign website: www.mikehuckabee.com