Immigration one of top issues in Maryland First District
debate January 21, 2008 Illegal immigration was one of the major issues in a crowded but congenial debate Sunday for Maryland's First Congressional District. Seven candidates, four Democrats and three Republicans, shared the stage at Chesapeake College and talked with about 100 voters for an hour and a half. The candidates didn't question each other and avoided attacks; they spent most of the forum outlining their plans to address immigration, the economy and Iraq. The candidates included Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, a nine-term incumbent being challenged by two Republican state senators. Gilchrest and several of his rivals talked about immigration as a national problem and vowed to work in Congress to reduce illegal immigration. 'We've let the borders go haywire,' said Republican Robert Joseph Banks, a former orphans' court judge from Baltimore County. Banks called for 'phased-in deportation' of immigrants in the country without permission and concluded, 'No amnesty for anyone. It's that simple.' All of the candidates at the debate called for better federal enforcement of immigration laws. The Democratic front-runner, Queen Anne's County state's attorney Frank Kratovil, called for more federal enforcement against people here illegally. 'We need to make sure whatever we do recognizes we are a nation of immigrants ... but we need to enforce our laws,' Kratovil said. Democrat Joseph Werner took a stronger tack. 'It's destroying our way of life,' he said of illegal immigration. 'It's not helping us and it's not helping illegals.' |
Last updated January 22, 2008