Christie defends comparing tracking immigrants to FedEx
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Sunday that it's "ridiculous" to think he was comparing people to packages when he suggested that the U.S. track foreigners visiting the country the way FedEx tracks packages.
The mini-controversy stems from a suggestion the presidential candidate made at an event in Laconia, New Hampshire this weekend when he was talking about ways to prevent people from overstaying their visas, which is how an estimated 40 percent of undocumented immigrants entered the U.S.
"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," Christie said. "Yet we let people come to this country with visas, and the minute they come in, we lose track of them."
"We need to have a system that tracks you from the moment you come in and then when your time is up," he continued. "However long your visa is, then we go get you and tap you on the shoulder and say, 'Excuse me, it's time to go.'"
He said he would have FedEx founder Fred Smith work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for just three months to show them how to implement such technology. Smith's daughter, Samantha Smith, is Christie's campaign spokeswoman.
The remark drew a quick rebuke from the Democratic National Committee. Spokeswoman Christina Freundlich said, "To compare immigrants and Americans to tracking a FedEx package is a new low of lows for the Republican field. The only tracking numbers that Christie should be concerned with is his poor job creation numbers and record nine credit downgrades."
Asked about the comments on "Fox News Sunday," Christie said he wasn't comparing people to packages but instead talking about a situation where the private sector "laps us in the government" with the use of technology.
"We should bring in the folks from FedEx to use the technology to be able to do it. There's nothing wrong with that. And I don't mean people are packages. So let's not be ridiculous," Christie said.