Tom Tancredo for President

Willy says Thanks to Texas Fred for turning Willy on to this Cat. Had not heard of him before. Willy believes he likes him and may endorse him for President!

Immigration issues

Tancredo is perhaps best known for his fight against illegal immigration. According to his supporters, he represents the majority of American citizens, who support strict enforcement of current U.S immigration laws. In May 1999, Tancredo founded the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus. He served as its Chairman until January 2007, handing the chairmanship over to Brian Bilbray. ([2]) Tancredo's outspoken advocacy for immigration reform, particularly his criticism of President George W. Bush's border security controls, has made him persona non grata in the White House.

He has received press attention for seeking the deportation of individual illegal immigrant families, such as that of Jesus Apodaca, a high school honor student who publicly complained about having to pay the out-of-state tuition rate at the University of Colorado at Denver, despite being raised in the state, because his family immigrated illegally.^[10][11]

Congressman Tancredo also criticized the Denver Public Library system for catering to Spanish-speakers through reading materials and offering space for classes. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper responded to the mistakes in Tancredo's information and reiterated the intent of the library, copying the system's local congresswoman Diana DeGette on the letter.^[12]

Tancredo also received negative publicity when the Denver Post reported that two illegal immigrants were among the crew hired to remodel the congressman's basement. Tancredo defended himself by saying that he never asked about their immigration status.^[13][14]

Tancredo and Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove, got into a "screaming match" after Tancredo claimed that "if the nation suffered another attack at the hands of terrorists able to skirt immigration laws, the blood of the people killed" would be on the president’s and Congress’s hands. Rove responded by calling the congressman "a traitor to the party" and "a traitor to the president," and warned him to never "darken the doorstep of the White House." Tancredo responded that "the president’s position on immigration is going to hurt [him]. I want the president to win [the 2004 election]. I am not doing any of these things or saying any of these things because I want to hurt the Republican Party or the president" ^[15]. National Review's David Frum wrote that "[n]o issue, not one, threatens to do more damage to the Republican coalition than immigration" ^[16]which many say explains in part Rove's sensitivity to Tancredo's criticism