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Christie Talks Immigration At Sparta Town Hall Meeting

SPARTA, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Gov. Chris Christie discussed his strategy for dealing with immigration at his latest town hall meeting Thursday morning.

One woman at the Sussex County Technical School told Christie, who is expected to run for president in 2016, that "our borders are wide open." She said illegal immigrants are getting in-state tuition and driver's licenses.

She then asked the Republican governor what he'd "do to save our country" if he were in the White House.

Christie Talks Immigration At Sparta Town Hall Meeting

Christie said he's not in favor of putting up a wall along the southwest border "because I think it's too expensive and too inefficient."

He said there should be walls in spots, cameras all along the border, more border patrols and a crackdown on employers who hire undocumented immigrants, WCBS 880's Levon Putney reported.

"Most people come here illegally because they want to work," Christie said.

He said employers should be required to use the E-Verify system to make sure they do not hire anyone illegally.

Christie also continued to defend his decision to scale back promised payments to the state's public worker pension system as the budget deadline draws nearer.

The governor got into a lengthy back-and-forth about the topic at his 137th town hall event.

Christie said the state cannot afford the payments it agreed to under a 2011 law. The issue is currently in court.

The governor was also asked at one point to resign. He politely declined.

Christie has been holding frequent town halls in the early-voting state of New Hampshire as he prepares for an expected presidential campaign.

He told radio host Laura Ingraham on Wednesday that his town halls set him apart from his potential rivals.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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