GOP congressional candidate: We should put microchips in undocumented immigrants, like we do with dogs.

While many Democrats and Republicans alike have criticized Arizona’s anti-immigration law for going too far, on Monday, Iowa Republican congressional candidate Pat Bertroche had an even more draconian idea — implant microchips in undocumented immigrants to keep track of them:

“I think we should catch ’em, we should document ’em, make sure we know where they are and where they are going,” said Pat Bertroche, an Urbandale physician. “I actually support micro-chipping them. I can micro-chip my dog so I can find it. Why can’t I micro-chip an illegal?

“That’s not a popular thing to say, but it’s a lot cheaper than building a fence they can tunnel under,” Bertroche said.

Bertroche has since backtracked from his remarks, saying he doesn’t “support microchipping anybody” and it never occurred to him that he “was comparing dogs to illegal immigrants.” His intention was to “illustrate a social commentary on how radical” the immigration debate has become.