Austin American-Statesman, TX
12-14-07
WASHINGTON — Rep. Tom Tancredo likes a good fight.
The Colorado Republican, who is running for president, has managed to upset a
variety of powerful people, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Mexico
Gov. Bill Richardson, Republican strategist Karl Rove and just about every
Hispanic advocacy group in Washington.
Tom Tancredo, right, with Rudy Giuliani at a Republican debate, says he fears a
'cultural, linguistic and even political Tower of Babel.'
The source of the conflicts: Tancredo's unyielding battle against illegal
immigration and what he calls the "cult of multiculturalism."
Labeled a hero of the working class by some and a dangerous xenophobe by
others, Tancredo has taken his tough talk on the political road in an underdog
campaign that has pushed Republican White House contenders to talk more
about illegal immigration.
Tancredo pulls no punches on his signature issue.
"You have a massive legal and illegal immigration of a great many people who
don't want to be Americans," he said. "It's dangerous. We could end up with a
cultural, linguistic and even political Tower of Babel."
Tancredo, 61, grew up in a Denver suburb without any memorable exposure to
illegal immigration. A Republican from a young age, he recalls being one of two
students in his Catholic high school who voted in a mock election against thenSen. John Kennedy, who would become the first Catholic U.S. president.
Tancredo worked throughout high school and college at an amusement park in
Denver, where he started sweeping floors and eventually became the park's
general manager.
He graduated from the University of Northern Colorado and became a junior high
school civics teacher.
Tancredo said his concern over illegal immigration began when Colorado
implemented bilingual education, which puts Spanish-speaking students into
separate classes.
Students with Hispanic surnames who didn't even speak Spanish were put into
the classes, which was ridiculous and harmful, Tancredo said.
Tancredo later ran for a state House seat and won. He never succeeded in
abolishing the bilingual education program.
He was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1998. He and his wife, Jackie, have been
married for 30 years.
As the immigration issue heated up in the past few years, so did Tancredo's
notoriety. He has become a frequent guest on talk radio shows and often
appears on television.
Bill Salier, who is running Tancredo's Iowa operation, said he was drawn to the
lawmaker because Tancredo is a true conservative with a strong stance against
abortion and in favor of abolishing the U.S. tax code, establishing greater border
security and assimilating immigrants.
"To change our culture to match others who want to come here is clearly not
what's going to maintain the greatness of America," said Salier, who once ran for
the U.S. Senate.
Supporters also point to Tancredo's softer side. Tancredo organized the
gathering of food and medical supplies to help after a school hostage crisis in
Beslan, Russia. Tancredo delivered them in person, along with letters of
encouragement from students at Columbine High School, where a school
shooting had occurred a few years earlier.
Tancredo has also worked with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to raise
awareness and pass legislation aimed at ending the violence in the Darfur region
of Sudan.
But Tancredo's stance on immigration has drawn harsh words from critics, who
accused him of being an extremist and of being hostile to Hispanics and other
minorities.
"His presence in the race will continue to signal to Latinos that Republicans are
really very divided on whether we are good for this country," said Cecilia Munoz,
vice president for policy at the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic civil rights
organization. "He really reflects an uglier side of the (Republican) party."
Tancredo, a grandson of Italian immigrants, dismisses those allegations. He said
he feels compassion for illegal immigrants, but has greater compassion for
American workers he says are suffering because of the government's failure to
stop illegal immigrants.
Steffen Schmidt, a political science professor at Iowa State University, said
that Tancredo's focus on illegal immigration has helped elevate the issue but has
not propelled Tancredo forward in the standings.
"You can't be a single-issue candidate on an issue that isn't the number one
concern," Schmidt said.
Tancredo's fight with Jeb Bush began when Tancredo likened Miami to a Third
World country. It prompted an angry exchange in letters and statements with the
Florida governor, who eventually called Tancredo "a nut."
Previously, Tancredo clashed with Richardson when he accused the New Mexico
governor of using emergency federal funds to keep tabs on the Minutemen
citizen border patrol group.
Tancredo makes no apologies for his statements and says he does not worry
about upsetting powerful people.
Rep. Brian Bilbray, a California Republican who succeeded Tancredo as leader
of an unofficial caucus pushing for more immigration enforcement, said Tancredo
was instrumental in making illegal immigration a top issue in Congress.
"He shocked Washington into paying attention. He rattled their cages, and that's
what it takes," Bilbray said.
Tom Tancredo
Born: Dec. 20, 1945, in Denver, Colo.
Education: B.A., University of Northern Colorado, 1968
Experience: Teacher, Drake Junior High School, Denver.
Political career: Colorado State Legislature, 1976-81; U.S. House of
Representatives, 1999-present.
Religion: Evangelical Presbyterian
Family: Wife, Jackie Tancredo; two sons; five grandchildren.