Huck Admits He Is Soft on Immigration

Aaron Sadler at the Arkansas News Bureau is reporting that Huck admits that he is weak on immigration:

Huckabee for weeks now been criticized for his 2005 support of state-sponsored scholarships for illegal immigrants. Legislation to provide the tuition aid failed in the Arkansas Senate.

Huckabee admitted his stance is unpopular among a GOP voter base that has made immigration the No. 1 issue of the campaign.

"If it costs me the election, it costs me the election," he told reporters at a luncheon on Capitol Hill.

But Huckabee said voters should direct their anger toward a government that has neglected the immigration problem.

So it is the government's fault, but he would implement, more or less, the same policies.

And former state Sen. Jim Holt, R-Springdale, said Thursday Huckabee "has his head in the sand" when it comes to immigration policies.

Huckabee said he supported construction of a border fence, opposed amnesty for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already in the country and backed penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

He said the federal government had thus far failed to solve the problem.

Holt said Huckabee is to blame, too.

"In 2005, he told me personally in his office there was no illegal immigration problem," said Holt, who introduced legislation two years ago that would have denied all government benefits to illegals.

Since then Huckabee has flip-flopped on the issue, Holt added.

"Huckabee would not lose the presidency because of his stand on immigration, he's losing it because he's making such a blatant 180-degree turn on the issue," Holt said. "That's what's going to cost him, he's changing his tune."