GOP's '16 hopefuls meet in N.H.

14 of 17 candidates talk illegal immigration, climate change

Republican presidential candidates gather on stage before a forum Monday in Manchester, N.H. From left: Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, John Kasich, George Pataki, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, and Scott Walker.
Republican presidential candidates gather on stage before a forum Monday in Manchester, N.H. From left: Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, John Kasich, George Pataki, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, and Scott Walker.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The Republican Party's presidential candidates called for aggressive steps to stop illegal immigration during a forum in New Hampshire on Monday night.

Fourteen of the 17 major Republican candidates for president participated in what was essentially a debate.

The candidates focused their criticism at Democrats instead of one another, but Monday's meeting offered a practice round before Thursday's nationally televised debate in Cleveland, the first of the primary season.

They addressed several contentious issues, with immigration topping a list that included abortion, climate change and foreign policy.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry called the flow of people crossing the border illegally "a serious wound."

"You want to stanch the flow," he said during the forum at St. Anselm College auditorium in Manchester. On foreign workers who have overstayed visas, Perry said, "You go find 'em, you pick 'em up and you send 'em back where they're from."

Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania went further, calling for a 25 percent reduction of low-skilled workers coming into the country legally.

"Everyone else is dancing around it. I'm going to stand for the American worker," Santorum said.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, once a major proponent for a comprehensive immigration overhaul, said that Americans want the border fence completed and more border security agents before there's any discussion of what to do with those 11 million people in the country illegally.

Others offered a softer tone on the divisive issue Monday night.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich said that "law-abiding, God-fearing" people in the country illegally should be allowed to stay. Those who break the law, he said, "have to be deported or put in prison."

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said that fixing the nation's immigration system is a key part of his plan to help the economy grow 4 percent each year. He also called for reducing legal immigration.

Another issue discussed Monday was President Barack Obama's plan for new emissions limits on power plants. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker called the move "a buzz saw to the nation's economy."

"I want to balance a sustainable environment with a sustainable economy," Walker said.

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, asked a question about drugs and incarceration, said, "This is a disease, and the war on drugs has been a failure," pointing to his support for treatment in lieu of prison for nonviolent offenders who have not sold drugs to children. "Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody in this audience has made a mistake. There but for the grace of God go I."

Monday's event was broadcast live on C-SPAN and on local television stations in Iowa and South Carolina.

Just an hour before the forum began, the Senate blocked a GOP-backed bill to strip funding from Planned Parenthood. Three of the four senators participating in Monday's event -- Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky -- did so via satellite from C-SPAN's Washington studio so they wouldn't miss the vote.

"We had to be here to vote to de-fund Planned Parenthood," Cruz said.

Billionaire businessman Donald Trump was among the three candidates who declined to attend the New Hampshire event. But he is expected to play a prominent role in Thursday's formal debate, where only the GOP's top 10 candidates -- as determined by national polls -- will be allowed on stage.

Those on the bubble include South Carolina's Sen. Lindsey Graham and former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina. Both were aggressive critics of Democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday night.

Fiorina charged that Clinton has repeatedly lied during investigations into her use of a private email server and an attack on a consulate in Libya while she was secretary of state.

"These go to the core of her character," Fiorina said.

Graham offered to translate what he called "Clinton-speak" for the audience.

"When Bill says, 'I didn't have sex with that woman,' he did," Graham said. Turning his attention to Hillary Clinton, he added that when she promised to give her position on the Keystone XL pipeline, "it means she won't."

Information for this article was contributed by Jeremy W. Peters and Michael Barbaro of The New York Times.

A Section on 08/04/2015

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