Republican presidential candidate and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says that if he becomes president he will track immigrants similar to how FedEx tracks packages.
Christie told a crowd in New Hampshire on Saturday that he would enlist the help of Federal Express founder Fred Smith to show Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials how to track non-citizens, such as those overstaying their visas, ABC News reported.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addresses a gathering at a town hall-style meeting, Thursday, March 20, 2014, at St. Magdalen de Pazzi parish center in Flemington, N.J. Christie says his signature town hall meetings help keep him in tune with what average citizens are thinking. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
"At any moment, FedEx can tell you where that package is. It's on the truck. It’s at the station. It's on the airplane. Yet we let people come to this country with visas, and the minute they come in, we lose track of them," Christie said.
"We need to have a system that tracks you from the moment you come in, and then when your time is up, we go get you and tap you on the shoulder and say, 'Excuse me, thanks for coming, time to go,'" the New Jersey governor added.
Christie's campaign spokeswoman Samantha Smith, who is also the daughter of Fred Smith, later clarified the candidate's comments, telling ABC News, "What he is talking about is better leveraging technology not only in this regard issuing visas to track, but also using drones on the border."
It wasn't the first time Christie has suggested such tactics to deal with illegal immigration. Appearing on Fox News on Thursday, Christie referenced the nearly half of all immigrants whom federal officials lose track of as soon as they enter the country.
"How is it that Federal Express can track a package and tell you anywhere it's going to be. And yet when someone comes in with a visa, we lose 40 percent of the immigration in this country comes with not being able to track people. They come in on a visa and they overstay," Christie said.
Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton pounced on some of social media criticisms of the governor's comments, retweeting one user who blasted Christie, saying, "These are families like mine you're talking about. We're not packages."
.@ChrisChristie These are families like mine you're talking about. We're not packages. https://t.co/3JhRZzZTDZ
— Lorella Praeli (@lorellapraeli) August 29, 2015(H/T: ABC News)
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