Paul Expects to Gain Tancredo Supporters

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul on Thursday said he expects to gain support from people who previously backed Tom Tancredo because of his tough stand against illegal immigration.

Tancredo, a Colorado congressman, quit the race for the Republican nomination on Dec. 20. Although Tancredo endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Paul said many of those people are turning his way.

"His views and my views were very similar, and therefore we will be picking up support from those individuals not only here in this state but throughout the country," Paul said at an event in a downtown Des Moines hotel.

Paul said many of his supporters are worried that the U.S., Canada and Mexico will eventually join together, creating one North American government with a single currency.

"One of the reasons I think that we do such a poor job on protecting our borders is the fact that leaders on both sides of the aisle strongly support the notion that we should have a union, where you literally obliterate the borders and have the three countries become one and that to me is a lot different than being friends," Paul said.

Paul also opposes creation of a path to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally, and he supports construction of a fence along the Mexican border, installation of more electronic surveillance and an increase in border patrols.

Paul said he opposes international organizations like the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization because they impinge the U.S. government's autonomy. In addition, Paul opposes the North American Free Trade Agreement.

"Although some of those goals are noble goals, I just don't think that they should be achieved by expanding government," he said.

At the event, Paul received the personal endorsement of a leader of the Iowa chapter of the national Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. The group said it supports strengthening the U.S. border to prevent illegal immigrants and contraband from entering the country.

Ron Duncan, the group's deputy director, said he endorsed Paul because of his views on illegal immigration.