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Posted: September 6, 2007 5:56 PM
Tancredo Blasts Sanctuary Cities, Rivals on Immigration Sincerity
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After weeks of crusading against so-called sanctuary cities in New Jersey, Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., has found a similar outlet in New Hampshire.

Tancredo held a press conference at the New Hampshire State House on Wednesday to rail against House Bill 404, which he said would prevent city and state officials from enforcing federal immigration laws. He called for the federal government to cut all funds to sanctuary cities and to prosecute lawmakers responsible for sanctuary policies.

“The legislators behind this effort demonstrate an absolute disregard for the safety of their citizens and for the rule of law. Sanctuary policies are a violation of federal law, and cities and states that declare themselves such welcome into their communities a criminal element,” Tancredo said at the news conference.

At the Fox News Republican presidential debate at the University of New Hampshire Wednesday night, Tancredo tackled a question about racism in the anti-illegal immigration movement. He said that the cause has nothing to do with race or disliking people who come to the United States, but is instead about rule of law.

He once again accused his rivals of taking up the immigration cause simply because the political winds blew them that way. Tancredo said he would “like to see more than rhetoric. I wish that I could feel in their hearts that that’s exactly where they are going.”

Other Tancredo highlights from the debate included his discussion of the necessity of torture methods such as waterboarding in terrorism interrogation and his reiteration that U.S. troops should disengage in Iraq. Jim Geraghty of the conservative National Review gave high marks to [GOP candidates former New York Mayor Rudy] Giuliani, [former Arkansas Gov. Mike] Huckabee and [Arizona Sen. John] McCain, but he described Tancredo as “an eyeball-popping, jumpy, loud, jittery 1970s sitcom character.”

In other news, Tancredo is not submitting his name for the West Virginia nominating ballot on Feb. 5, a pre-cursor to its May primary. His campaign cited focus on the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Tancredo continued his New Hampshire campaign Thursday with stops in Manchester, Hollis and Merrimack. He is slated to go to Oklahoma this weekend for fund raisers in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.