Tancredo hounds Rudy on immigration

WASHINGTON, May 18 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo wants Rudy Giuliani to spell out his position on a new U.S. immigration bill.

Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who is one of the front-runners for the Republican Party's 2008 presidential nomination, issued a statement Friday stressing the importance of maintaining strong and efficient security and immigration controls at all U.S. border crossings in response to the amnesty bill compromise reached in the U.S. Senate.

However, Tancredo, R-Colo., a leading figure in the movement to crack down hard on illegal immigrants into the United States and impose stricter border controls, claimed Giuliani has not clarified where he really stood on the issue.

"What is really surprising, and particularly disappointing, is that Mayor Giuliani's statement does not seem to indicate where he stands on this bill," Tancredo said.

"Everyone is, at least rhetorically, in favor of securing our borders, but what is unknown is Mayor Giuliani's position on amnesty," he said.

Immigration control is developing as a major political issue across the West and Southwest regions of the United States.