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New Hutchinson ad touts plans to fight meth, illegal immigration Thursday, Sep 21, 2006 By James Jefferson Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Republican gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson promises a safer Arkansas in a new television ad touting his plans to curb meth addiction and illegal immigration. "I've seen how meth addiction can destroy a family, and I've seen how illegal immigration hurts our communities," the former federal Drug Enforcement Administration director and Department of Homeland Security undersecretary says in the campaign ad that began airing statewide Wednesday. Hutchinson pledges that, as governor, he would fight meth use with more enforcement, treatment and education, "and I'll crack down on illegal immigration by training state troopers to enforce immigration laws and making sure the state doesn't hire illegal workers." Both statements are part of proposals he announced earlier in the campaign, including his pledge to cut drug use by 50 percent. The ad says Hutchinson is the only candidate for governor with a plan for cutting illegal immigration, by enforcing federal law, cracking down on employers who knowingly hire illegal workers and requiring state government to participate in a program to confirm the legal residency of all state employees and employees of contractors with the state. Hutchinson faces Democrat Mike Beebe, the state attorney general and a former state senator, in the Nov. 7 general election. Beebe has said that as governor his office would work with federal authorities to crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, and his campaign said Wednesday that Beebe supports expanding drug courts and has a record of working with law enforcement agencies to curb the manufacture of methamphetamine. He championed legislation last year that placed cold medicines containing key ingredients in making meth behind the counter at pharmacies, a law that has been credited with cutting the number of meth labs in Arkansas by half. "That's one of the reason he's been endorsed by Arkansas police and 68 of the 75 county sheriffs in the state," Beebe spokesman Zac Wright said Wednesday. Wright cited national reports that drug use increased while Hutchinson headed the DEA while federal fines against employers for hiring illegal immigrants decreased significantly in Hutchinson's last year in charge of border security at the Department of Homeland Security and rose sharply after he left the agency. "Mr. Hutchinson wants Arkansas taxpayers to give him a second try at the same issues he failed on in Washington," Wright said. |
