Pinkerton claimed Clinton "supported open borders" despite her support for border-security measures

On the July 1 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, while discussing the ramifications on the U.S. presidential election of the June 29 discovery of car bombs in London, Newsday columnist Jim Pinkerton claimed that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) "supported open borders and bilingualism and multiculturalism and all the things that have gotten Britain and, in the future, America in such deadly trouble." In fact, Clinton voted on June 28 to close debate and proceed to a vote on an immigration bill that would have authorized (but not appropriate) funding to increase the number of federal agents investigating criminal matters related to immigration and to increase by 2,000 to 2,400 per year for six years the number of full-time border patrol agents. The bill also would have authorized (but not appropriate) funding for the procurement of "unmanned aerial vehicles, cameras, poles, sensors, and other technologies necessary to achieve operational control of the international borders of the United States." It also would have authorized the secretary of homeland security to "require aliens entering and departing the United States to provide biometric data and other information relating to their immigration status."

From the July 1 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:

KELLY WRIGHT (co-host): What are the candidates saying about this, and who's out in front on terrorism? Because the next president of the United States will have to deal with this subject.

ELLEN RATNER (Fox News contributor and chief political correspondent for Talk America): Well, I think Giuliani does very well with this. He sort of -- that is his hallmark. I actually think the other person that would do very well with this is Hillary Clinton, because she's a senator from New York and has been very active since the 9-11 hit.

PINKERTON: Hillary Clinton, who supported open borders and bilingualism and multiculturalism and all the things that have gotten Britain and, in the future, America in such deadly trouble? That's a good one, Ellen.

In addition to her recent vote for cloture on the Senate immigration bill containing border-security measures, Clinton has previously asserted that border security must be strengthened. In a statement issued March 8, 2006, Clinton said: "Smart reform must have as an essential component a plan to strengthen our northern and southern borders. It is unconscionable to think that in a post-9/11 world we do not know precisely who is entering and exiting our country." In a May 1, 2007, statement, Clinton said that "[a] comprehensive solution to our immigration crisis must include strengthening our borders."

From Clinton's March 8, 2006, statement:

Smart reform must have as an essential component a plan to strengthen our northern and southern borders. It is unconscionable to think that in a post-9/11 world we do not know precisely who is entering and exiting our country. Our homeland security requires that we know the identities of all people who cross our borders. In reforming our broken system, our efforts must be multifaceted and comprehensive. During my tenure in the Senate, I have supported efforts to increase exponentially the number of Border Patrol agents. By the end of this year, the ranks of our Border Patrol will have increased by 3,000 agents since 2001, a 30% increase. But the problem is not simply one of manpower. We also need to deploy new technology that can help our Border Patrol agents be more effective in stopping the thousands of undocumented immigrants who enter the country each day. Employing new surveillance equipment -- like detection sensors, unmanned drones, and infrared cameras -- can assist in this important work.

From Clinton's May 1, 2007, statement:

A comprehensive solution to our immigration crisis must include strengthening our borders, greater cooperation with our neighbors, strict but fair enforcement of our laws, federal assistance to state and local governments, strict penalties for those who exploit undocumented workers, and a path to earned legal status for those who are here, working hard, paying taxes, respecting the law, and willing to meet a high bar, including learning English.

—J.H.