Nov. 15 Democratic debate transcript

Richardson: By the way, Dennis, you keep -- stop including me in all these votes. I've been a governor. I'm in New Mexico. I'm not in Washington.

Here's my answer. You know, two years ago -- and I'm the only one who's dealt with the immigration issue directly.

You know, and by the way, with the Congress, let me just say the Congress' approval rating is 11 percent. Now, you know who's higher? Dick Cheney and HMOs.

My point is that, you know...

Let's talk about the need to bring this country together. Dysfunctional relationships exist between the president and the Congress. It needs to be corrected.

Here's my answer. Two years ago, I'm the first governor to declare a border emergency because the federal government wasn't doing its job in stopping the flow of drugs and people. But you know what? We should stop demonizing immigrants. We should stop doing that.

And I'm against the fence because it will not work. The Congress only funded half of the fence...

... and it's not American. What I would do is do four quick things. One, we have to secure the border. Double the number of border patrol agents. Keep the National Guard there a little longer. Detection equipment, as you mentioned.

Secondly, those who knowingly hire illegal workers should be punished.

Third, we should have a relationship -- it's called foreign policy -- with Mexico. They're our friend. But we should speak frankly to our friends, and it should be something like this: Mexico, give jobs to your people.

At the very least...

You know, at the very least, stop handing out maps on the easiest place to cross.

And then, lastly, a legalization plan -- a legalization plan. Not amnesty, not citizenship, but a path to legalization that involves conditions -- learning English...

Blitzer: Thank you.

Richardson: Paying back-taxes.

Blitzer: I want to Senator Dodd, though, to respond, because you voted for that security fence along the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

Dodd: Bienvenidos tambien.

I was in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic.

I will give you some points. In certain places you could make a case that a wall might help, not of course on the entire border. I am opposed to that. But the idea of having some sort of better security, including additional guards, additional technology here to allow us to deal with the issues.

But there ought not to be any correlation here. When you take the oath of office, you don't swear to uphold the Constitution or protect the country. I believe by upholding our rights, we do protect the country. And the administration has taken the opposite view. They are posing to us the false choice, the dichotomy that to be safer, we have to give up rights. I think that is so fundamentally flawed and fundamentally dangerous for the United States of America to embrace that idea.

Blitzer: All right. Thank you, senator.

Let's go back to Suzanne.

Malveaux: We have Judy Bagley here with us. If you would stand for a moment.

You have been working in the casino business for some 27 years now, a cashier?

Judy Bagley: That's right.

Malveaux: You've seen a lot of people come and go, obviously.

Bagley: Absolutely.

Malveaux: What is your concern?

Bagley: I'm a booth cashier and we moved here over 30 years ago. And I have three children, and as of yesterday, 8 grandchildren.

Malveaux: And what is your -- congratulations. That's amazing.

Bagley: Thank you.