Ron Paul Unplugged: Cutting Benefits for Illegal Immigrants

Dec. 12, 2007 — -- Over the last few months, I've heard from hundreds of viewers who said that I should interview unconventional Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. So I did.

In our interview, published exclusively on ABCNEWS.com, we talk about the Iraq war, when war is justified, the proper role of government, health care, drug use, prostitution, gay marriage, and more.

In this segment, we discuss illegal immigration. You can watch the full video by clicking here.

Paul, R-Texas, strongly opposes granting "amnesty" to the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States today. So I asked him what he'd do with all those immigrants. Would he try to arrest all of them?

"I don't think anybody could find 'em. I don't think anybody knows where they are," he said. "But if they come for welfare benefits, and you know they're illegal, deny them the benefits."

That's the crux of Paul's approach &3151; deny the immigrants the welfare and social services that many of them now receive.

"Get rid of the subsidies," he said. "You subsidize illegal immigration, you get more of it."

Paul wants to make the United States a far less attractive destination for illegal immigrants looking for free things.

"You promise 'em amnesty, promise 'em, that, no sweat, you can get medical care and free education, automatic citizenship, food stamps and Social Security — you're gonna get more of it," he said.

Paul also objects to the so-called birthright law, which grants automatic U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants in this country.

"I don't like to reward people who sneak in for that purpose, and get on the welfare rolls," he said.

But, I asked, isn't that a right spelled out in the U.S. Constitution?

The 14th Amendment says that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."

Paul thinks we're getting the Constitution wrong.