    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
    [November 4, 1994]
    [Pages 1986-1987]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Interview With Luis Eschegoyan of KDTV, San Francisco
    November 4, 1994

        The President. Hello, Luis, can you hear me?
        Mr. Eschegoyan. Yes, Mr. President. Good afternoon.
        The President. Good afternoon.

    Immigration

        Mr. Eschegoyan. Thank you, Mr. President, for giving us the
    opportunity to talk to you. What is your impression of Proposition 187,
    included in the California ballot?
        The President. I'm opposed to it. I do believe that the Federal
    Government has an obligation to do more to try to help California deal
    with the problems of illegal immigration. And I have worked hard on
    that, along with Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer. We've almost
    doubled the border guards in southern California; we have increased our
    sending the illegal immigrants who have been convicted of crimes back
    home. We've given money to California for the very first time to deal
    with the costs of imprisonment.
        I've tried to get much more money for education and health care
    costs of immigration to California. But 187 operates primarily against
    children. It says, kick the children out of the health clinics. That
    could cause health problems for the general population. It says, kick
    the children out of the schools, which means teachers are turned into
    police officers. It means that the kids can be on the street causing
    problems for themselves and for others. We've already got too many
    children on the street.
        So I believe we have to do more. I'm working hard. I found a big
    immigration mess when I became President 21 months ago. But this is not
    the answer, in my opinion, and I hope the voters will turn out and vote
    and reject 187. It's a way of dividing our people, it's clearly
    unconstitutional, and it's looking for easy answers to a tough problem.
    After all, some of the people that are for 187 are part of the problem.
    When Governor Wilson was Senator Wilson, he responded to the powerful
    forces in California that wanted more illegal immigrants in California
    to do work. He sponsored legislation to make it more difficult to remove
    illegal immigrants from the workplace by going easier on the employers.
    Now he, all of a sudden, has turned 180 degrees on this issue. But this
    is a complicated issue without a simple solution. I'm committed to
    working with you to find a solution. I don't think 187 is the answer.

    [[Page 1987]]

        I hope that our listeners, our viewers, will turn out and vote on
    Tuesday and vote against 187, and I hope they'll come to the Kaiser
    Center in Oakland tomorrow where I'm going to have a rally at 2 o'clock.
        Mr. Eschegoyan. Mr. President, if 187 is approved, do you think it
    will affect the NAFTA treaty with Mexico?
        The President. I don't know that it will affect NAFTA, but it will
    certainly affect our relations with Mexico. You know, in the long run,
    the best way to reduce illegal immigration is for more people in Mexico
    and these other countries to have good jobs in their own countries, to
    trade with us, to sell to us and buy from us, and live in stable
    societies.
        California has benefited more from NAFTA than any other State, with
    the possible exception of Texas. It has brought us increased numbers of
    new jobs and new opportunities. And as it raises incomes in Mexico,
    clearly, illegal immigration will slow because there will be more job
    opportunities at home. People like to stay with their families and where
    they grew up, if they can make a living.
        Mr. Eschegoyan. Thank you, Mr. President, to talk to us here at
    KDTV, Channel 14, in San Francisco.
        The President. Thank you. Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:25 a.m. by telephone from the Holiday
    Inn in Duluth, MN.