This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," July 1, 2014. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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O'REILLY: Thanks for staying with us. I'm Bill O'Reilly. In the "Impact Segment" tonight, as we told you in the "Talking Points Memo" at the top of the program, the illegal immigration situation can be solved but most likely will not be under the Obama administration.
Joining us now from Washington with his plan, Fox News Political Analyst Charles Krauthammer. All right, go.
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, let me preface by saying this is not new. This is not a response to the catastrophic Hispanic vote for Republicans in 2012 when Romney lost something like 72 to 29.
I wrote this in 2006 when George W. had carried almost half Hispanic vote. So, this is not a way to win the vote. This is a way to do the decent and the right thing.
I got two premises. Number one, Americans are a humane people and they don't want to see 11 million other human beings living in the shadows.
Number two, however, Americans believe in a sovereign America who chooses who comes in and who doesn't. Therefore, I think that if you could assure the American people that you would secure the border, they would then, in overwhelming numbers, 70, 80, 90 percent, say, "OK, we're going to legalize the cohort that's here now because there won't be another."
However, if they feel there's no enforcement and we legalize 11 million today and there'll be another 11 million in 10 years, the way Reagan got swindled with his amnesty in 1986, then they won't do it.
So, you've got to secure the border. And when you've done that and had that certified by independent outside non-partisan people, retired judges, pick all you want, and all you've got to do is certify that the river of illegals has become a trickle.
You're not going to eliminate it totally. But a river becomes a trickle, you've closed the border, then I would legalize.
I wouldn't give citizenship. The younger generation, yes. But those who broke the law should not have a role in our politics.
But everything else, a green card, the right to work, protection, all that, they should have in time if they pay the fine, learn English, et cetera. That's my plan.
O'REILLY: How do you secure the border, Charles.
KRAUTHAMMER: All right. Here's what I've been on for years. You start with a fence. It's very simple. People say, "Oh, fences don't work. You make a ladder."
Well, then you build two fences, triple-strand fences. San Diego did that in the mid-'90s. And within a decade, the illegal immigration rate at that point was reduced by 90 percent.
And people ended up going through other places like Arizona. If fences don't work, why is there one around the White House. If they don't work, why is it that the Israeli fence would separate Israel from the west bank, has cut down terror attacks within Israel by 99 percent.
Fences work. Yes, there are parts of the border where you can't have a fence, fine. So, you don't have it in those areas and you do heavy patrols.
But there's no reason why a rich country like us cannot put a fence across -- a double fence, a triple fence, and patrol it all the time. That would have a tremendous impact.
O'REILLY: All right. You put the military to make sure the border patrol has enough resources behind it.
KRAUTHAMMER: Absolutely, whatever you need.
O'REILLY: OK. All right, well, I have no quibble with that.
And on the backhoe of certification, I agree that, I think -- I don't know if it's 89 -- I think it may be about maybe 60 percent of Americans would say -- there's a lot of bitterness and a lot of people who feel that we're being overrun by foreign cultures, it's not the same America, they'll all vote Democratic, it will be in the entitlement train, and all of that.
Now, you read my -- you read my plan.
KRAUTHAMMER: Very specific. I actually studied them.
O'REILLY: Studied whom.
KRAUTHAMMER: Studied your details, or studied the details.
O'REILLY: You actually studied?
KRAUTHAMMER: Oh, yes.
O'REILLY: Can we -- can we -- yes, we can get pulled out. All right, I'm flattered.
So, because I was very specific about exactly what the illegal alien has to do. See, I think they have a responsibility. Not only we, the people, who are paying the taxes to afford them an opportunity.
They have to register. They have to obey the law. They have to get a job. And they don't get entitlements. You've got to make it.
Because my ancestors and your ancestors, we didn't get entitlements. My family never got an entitlement coming from Ireland. We made it, right. And it was hard.
So, I'm glad you like it. Is there anything you object to.
KRAUTHAMMER: No. Look, I think the general idea is that we want -- put it this way, a big wall with a large door. But we control the door.
I believe in immigration. I'm sure most Americans do. It enriched the country greatly. But we chose who came in. We didn't have other people choose for us.
And that's all that's being asked by those people who want to control illegal immigration. People are saying we're against immigrants.
That's totally false. We are against people who decide on their own to break the law and to come in to our country.
O'REILLY: Absolutely. Now, --
KRAUTHAMMER: That's all. It's a matter of control and sovereignty.
O'REILLY: -- when President Obama went against his base and said to ABC News, "I'm going to send all the kids back," all right, Kirsten Powers and then Crowley -- so, I don't believe him.
So, he doesn't win on either side saying that.
KRAUTHAMMER: Look, I don't -- I'm with Crowley in saying that I'll believe it when I see it. Because -- and, look, it's not hard for him to change this.
He doesn't have to do executive order. He doesn't have to trample on the Constitution. You want to get serious here? You introduce to Congress tomorrow morning.
Avail that changes, the rules. Today, if you're coming illegally from Mexico or Canada, they can deport you within hours.
If you're from other countries, as these kids from Central America are, then you've got to stay -- then you've got to --
O'REILLY: Well, do you think that would get through the Senate. I don't know if that will get through the Senate. I don't know.
KRAUTHAMMER: If the President, the Democratic President --
O'REILLY: Ooh, I don't know.
KRAUTHAMMER: -- were to propose that in the Senate, I'd like to see how --
O'REILLY: Yes, I'd like to see it, too, but I don't know if that's a lock.
KRAUTHAMMER: Then why doesn't he do it.
O'REILLY: Because he doesn't -- he wants to do it himself.
KRAUTHAMMER: That's why I'm not sure he's serious.
O'REILLY: OK, and that's legitimate.
KRAUTHAMMER: If he were, that's what a president does who is serious.
O'REILLY: I've got to take a break in a minute but I'm going to hold Charles over to talk about patriotism in a new poll.
The last question, Mexico, I think has to be held accountable. And I think if they don't start to patrol their own border and help us ours, we do trade sanctions. Are you for that.
KRAUTHAMMER: Oh, yes. And I'd send an aircraft carrier offshore just to send the message.
O'REILLY: OK. But they can't get off in Cancun and go to Club Med. They have to stay on the aircraft carrier.
KRAUTHAMMER: Well, it depends how cooperative the Mexicans are --
O'REILLY: All right.
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