Santorum on Trump: ‘I can build good walls too’

by Mark Hensch - 09/18/15 7:11 PM ET

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) on Friday said he is as qualified as GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump to tackle America’s immigration crisis.

“I can build good walls too, just like that other guy,” he said during the Heritage Action Presidential Forum in Greenville, S.C.

“The immigration solution and system should be focused on how it helps America and American workers,” Santorum said.

{mosads}“American workers can compete with anybody,” the 2016 Republican White House hopeful added. “They just need government to get out of the way or lend a helping hand.”

Santorum argued Trump’s desire for a physical barrier on America’s southern border with Mexico could only help so much, turning his focus to the number of undocumented immigrants already within the nation’s borders.

“Half the people who are here overstayed their visas,” Santorum said. “They came here legally and never left.”

“We have brought in waves of immigrants,” he added. “We can identify these people and ask them to leave.”

Santorum also charged that greater border security improves national security in the light of more extremism abroad.

“You would think that after 9/11, we would be little circumspect about bringing people in from other countries that might be terrorists,” he said.

The former Pennsylvania lawmaker added that few world actors were more dangerous than Iran.

“When it comes to Iran, we should not be compromising at all,” Santorum said.

“This is a regime that practices a kind of Islam called apocalyptic Islam,” he added. “They believe the end of the world is coming and they can hasten its happening.”

Santorum’s remarks come as he struggles for space in the GOP’s crowded 2016 presidential field.

He currently ranks 12th out of 16 candidates with less than 1 percent voter support, according to a RealClearPolitics average of national polls.

Trump, meanwhile, leads the race for next year’s Republican presidential nomination with 30.5 percent support.

He surprised conservative supporters Friday by dropping out of Heritage Action’s forum at the last minute despite his previously scheduled appearance there.

Tags Rick Santorum