Catsimatidis: "I Want Illegal Aliens"

In an interview for The New York Observer (The Catsimatidis Agenda, January 30, 2007), one of the city's legendary entrepreneurs, philanthropist, and prospective Republican candidate for mayor of New York City, John Catsimatidis, 59, had this to say about undocumented workers:

"When you talk about illegal aliens, they have a purpose too. I want illegal aliens, and I'll support them if they're paying their taxes, hard working families. But if they're here to live off the rest of us, then I'm not going to support them. If they're here to commit felonies and murders, I'll have them on the first boat out."

An Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipient, Catsimatidis was born in Greece in 1948 and brought to the United States by his parents while still an infant. Raised in New York City, Mr.Catsimatidis attended high school in Brooklyn and then New York University. Mr. Catsimatidis and his wife Margo Catsimatidis have two children; daughter Andrea John, “AJ” 10 years, and son, John Andreas, Jr., “Yianni” 7 years.

John Catsimatidis is Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer of the Red Apple Group, Inc., a privately held company with annual sales of over $2 billion and 10,000 employees.