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Thomas G. Tancredo (born December 20 1945), American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999, representing the 6th District of Colorado. He was born in Denver, Colorado, was educated at the University of Northern Colorado, and was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 1977 to 1981.
Tancredo is noted for his outspoken criticism of illegal immigration policies and his support for general immigration reduction. His critics claim he is anti-immigrant. He has received press attention for targetting individual illegal immigant families for deportation, such as that of an honor student trying to get into the University of Colorado. His advocacy for immigration reform is so great that he was not welcome in the White House of George W. Bush, who takes a comparatively liberal view of immigration, after critizing the President's border security controls. Former Democratic Colorado Governor Dick Lamm shares Tancredo's passionate interest in immigration matters, and the two Colorado politicians have appeared together to speak against current immigration policy.
The principle immigration-related legislation that Tancredo has worked to pass is H.R. 946, The Mass Immigraiton Reduction Act of 2003. The act, if passed, would impose an indefinite moratorium on immigration to the United States. Only 30,000 total legal immigrants would be allowed into the country annually for at least the first five years of the act and, after that, until such time as there are fewer than 10,000 illegal immigrants entering per year. When those conditions are met immigration could only be allowed at whatever level the president and both houses of Congress agree will have no adverse impact on wages, housing, the environment, or schools. When last introduced in 2003, the bill had 11 cosponsors. Organizations that have endorsed Tancredo's bill include: NumbersUSA, American Patrol, Population-Environment Balance, Carrying Capacity Network, Federation for American Immigration Reform, Negative Population Growth, American Renaissance, and the American Patrol.
Tancredo founded a political action committee named Team America in order to collect contributions for immigration-restrictionist inclined congressional representatives and candidates. Due to campaign law he had to resign after founding it. The current chair is Angela Buchanan, sister of politician Patrick Buchanan.
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