Ronald Reagan / George Bush Debate
Ronald Reagan / George Bush Debate
Continuation of debate between Republican Presidential candidates George Bush and Ronald Reagan, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, moderated by Howard K. Smith. They take questions from the audience. Mexican immigration & relations with Mexico. Question: My name is David Grossberg and I would like to know, do you think that children of illegal aliens should be allowed to attend Texas public schools free or do you think that their parents should pay for their education? George Bush: Who are you addressing that to? Howard K. Smith: I think you first. Ronald Reagan: He s looking right at you (As he speaks and points to George Bush) George Bush: (Some laughter from the audience) Look, I would like to seen something done about the illegal alien problem that would be so sensitive and so understanding about labor needs and human needs that that problem wouldn t come up. But today if those people are here, I would reluctantly say, I think that they would get whatever it is that their society is giving to their neighbors. But the problem has to be solved, because as we have kind of made illegal, sometimes the labor that I like to see legal, we re doing two things, we re creating a whole society of really honorable, decent, family loving people that are in violation of the law and secondly we re exasperating relations with Mexico. The answer to your question is much more fundamental than whether they attend Houston schools, it seems to me. If they re living here, I don t want to see six and eight year old kids being made one totally uneducated and made to feel like their living outside the law? Let s address ourselves to the fundamentals. These are good people, strong people, part of my family is Mexican. (Applause) Ronald Reagan: May I add to that. I think the time has come that the United States and our neighbors, particular our neighbor to the south, should have a better understanding and a better relationship then we ever had. And I think that we haven t been sensitive enough to our size and our power. They have a problem of 40 to 50% unemployment. Now this cannot continue without the possibility arising, with regard to that other country that we talked about, of Cuba and what it is stirring up, of the possibility of trouble below the border and we can have a very hostel and strange neighbor on our border. Rather then making them or talking about putting up a fence, why don t we work out some recognition along mutual problems, make it possible for them to come here legally with a work permit, and then while their working and earning here, they pay taxes here. When they want to go back, they can go back across and open the border both ways by understanding their problems. This is the only safety valve right now they have with that unemployment, that probably keeps the lid from blowing off down there. And I think we could have a fine relationship and it would solve the problem you mentioned there, also. (Applause)