HOUSTON – The race for The White House came to Houston Wednesday as Republican Mike Huckabee spoke at Wilson Air Center.
The former Arkansas governor focused on holes in immigration policy, saying they allow criminals to stay in the U.S.
"There's a big difference between people who come to this country for economic opportunity, and people who want to get a foothold here for criminal activity," he said.
Criminal activity includes the random murder of a woman on a pier in San Francisco last week. The man charged, Juan Francisco Sanchez, had a criminal record that included seven felony convictions. He has been deported from the U.S. five times.
Huckabee said he would make sure people like Sanchez were kept off the streets.
"We're not a better country when we don't have any control over our borders and people who are drug dealers or murders get across the border," he said.
He said one way to fix the problem is to secure the border.
"I think we can secure the border by having the control of it through electronic fencing," he said.
KPRC 2 asked him about Donald Trump and his controversial comments about Mexicans last month.
"Let them make their own comments," said Huckabee. "I'll focus on mine."
Trump said Wednesday that he would win the Latino vote but then slammed the Mexican government.
"They force people into our country," he said, "and they are drug dealers and they are criminals of all kind."
Huckabee does not believe those comments will hurt a Republican's chance at the White House.
"Each of us running for president, will stand on our own comments," he said. "I'm certainly willing to stand by mine and each candidate will have to stand on his."
Huckabee said as president, he would stop funding sanctuary cities like Houston and reverse President Obama's executive amnesty.