On Third Anniversary of DACA, Correct The Record Releases Analysis of Republican Hopefuls’ Record on Immigration
Three years after DACA expansion, Republicans continue to oppose immigration reform
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Correct The Record released an analysis of the records of Republican presidential hopefuls on immigration. Today is the third anniversary of President Obama’s historic expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides relief to young, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.
While this program has changed the lives of millions of families living in this country for the better, Republican presidential hopefuls have continued to oppose its existence. Some Republicans have even called for the DACA program to be defunded altogether, which would turn hundreds of thousands of hardworking immigrants into second-class citizens and hurt millions of families living in the United States.
“At a time when Americans overwhelmingly support comprehensive immigration reform, Republican presidential candidates continue to fight efforts to unite families and pass a roadway to citizenship,” said Adrienne Watson, communications director at Correct The Record. “While Republican hopefuls would rather aspiring citizens be treated as second class Americans, Hillary Clinton has addressed immigration reform head-on, advocating for DREAMers and laying out her plan for a path to citizenship.”
At the end of the day, no one living in this country should have second-class status. Reforming our broken immigration system is the right path forward to strengthening our country, building our economy, and ensuring that every family feels like they belong.
The GOP on Immigration
Scott Walker
Scott Walker suggested that the U.S. should limit legal immigration. “Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s newfound skepticism of legal immigration levels is a potential turning point in the still nascent presidential race, potentially dragging the Republican Party further to the right than Mitt Romney’s hardline immigration platform in 2012. ‘In terms of legal immigration, how we need to approach that going forward is saying – the next president and the next Congress need to make decisions about a legal immigration system that’s based on, first and foremost, on protecting American workers and American wages,’ Walker said Monday in an interview with Glenn Beck. ‘It is a fundamentally lost issue by many in elected positions today – what is this doing for American workers looking for jobs, what is this doing to wages, and we need to have that be at the forefront of our discussion going forward.’” [MSNBC, 4/21/15]
Scott Walker proposed repealing a law that allowed some undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at public universities. “Among the many provisions in his proposed state budget, Gov. Scott Walker wants to repeal a law that allows some undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at public universities. After years of battling to get that measure passed, Gov. Jim Doyle signed it into law in 2009. Before that students who were undocumented were charged out of state tuition, even if they had attended Wisconsin high schools and made good grades.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/2/11]
Scott Walker joined a lawsuit against Pres. Obama’s executive order protecting undocumented immigrants from deportation. “Wisconsin is one of the 17 states joining the suit, and Gov. Scott Walker requested Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen to join the suit. Van Hollen complied, saying it’s clear that Obama exceeded his authority. Walker said in a statement the immigration system is broken but should be addressed through collaborative federal action. Many top Republicans have denounced Obama’s unilateral move, which was designed to spare as many as 5 million people living illegally in the United States from deportation. Under Obama’s order, announced Nov. 20, protection from deportation and the right to work will be extended to an estimated 4.1 million parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents who have lived in the U.S. for at least five years and to hundreds of thousands more young people.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12/3/14]
Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush opposed a path to citizenship for undocumented workers. “Former Florida governor Jeb Bush (R) on Monday backed off his previous support for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, saying it would send the wrong message to people who have tried to immigrate legally. Asked by NBC’s Matt Lauer why his new book doesn’t advocate a path to citizenship, Bush said it wouldn’t be fair. ‘Because our proposal is a proposal that looks forward,’ he said. ‘And if we want to create an immigration policy that’s going to work, we can’t continue to make illegal immigration an easier path than legal immigration. And so I think it’s important that there is a natural friction between our immigrant heritage and the rule of law.’ Bush added that rewarding illegal immigrants with a path to citizenship would lead to even more illegal immigration.” [Washington Post, 3/4/13]
Jeb Bush said Obama’s executive order stopping the deportation of DREAMers was “way beyond the purview of executive power.” “Bush also offered a stern rebuke to Obama on immigration, and accused him of playing politics. Earlier this summer, the president signed an executive order that stopped the deportation of certain young illegal immigrants. Bush said he saw Obama’s action as a way of undercutting Romney and winning good will from Hispanic voters, not as an effective piece of policy. ‘This is so cynical. And he – I mean, if you’re, if you, if the law says clearly that you have a case-by-case right to review cases, and you blanket say 800,000 people comply, that is way beyond the purview of executive power,’ Bush said.” [Washington Post, 8/30/12]
Chris Christie
Chris Christie pulled “support for a bill that would grant in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants” after he was re-elected. “New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie denied Monday that he flip-flopped on his position before and after his landslide re-election victory on an important immigration issue in the state. The New Jersey Star-Ledger hit Christie in a scathing op-ed for pulling support for a bill that would grant in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants, but Christie said he has not, instead it is just aspects of the legislation that he disagrees with. ‘I said the legislature should move in the lame duck session towards tuition equality in New Jersey. Period,’ Christie said at a news conference. ‘That’s what I said. I didn’t support any particular piece of legislation. And I still support tuition equality.” [ABC News, 12/2/13]
Chris Christie would not say if he supported comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship. “Newly re-elected New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was making the rounds on the news shows on Sunday. He was asked if he still favors comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship. The Republican governor evaded the pathway to citizenship detail on Fox. Christie told Fox’s Chris Wallace, ‘Well, Chris what I favor is fixing the broken system…What Congress needs to do is get to work, working with each other and the president, to fix a broken system that is not serving our economy well, that is not serving our country well.’” [Politic365, 11/11/13]
Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz opposed the DREAM Act. “Let’s start with how Cruz, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, stands on the cited act. We didn’t have to look far. In a transcribed interview with blogger Sonja Harris of Conservatives in Action that Cruz has on his campaign website, the candidate says: ‘I do not support the DREAM Act and categorically oppose amnesty. I categorically oppose amnesty, and I strongly support legal immigration for those that have followed the rules and come here to pursue the American dream.’” [PolitiFact, 2/21/12]
Ted Cruz opposed a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. “Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said Sunday that a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants would be unfair to those who have legally immigrated to the United States. ‘I think a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally is profoundly unfair to the millions of legal immigrants who followed the rules,’ Cruz said during an interview for ABC’s ‘This Week.’” [Washington Post, 7/21/13]
Ted Cruz opposed comprehensive immigration reform, saying it would be “kicking millions of Americans in the teeth.” “Speaking with Houston-based radio host Michael Berry, Cruz said he hopes that Speaker John Boehner will not take on immigration reform next year. Doing so, Cruz argued, would diminish the ‘incredible opportunity to retake the Senate in 2014.’ Cruz emphasized that he is focused on winning the Senate majority from Democrats, and said passing immigration reform legislation would be the ‘number one thing Republicans could do to mess that up.’ Cruz also said comprehensive immigration would amount to ‘kicking millions of Americans in the teeth.’” [The Nation, 12/23/13]
Carly Fiorina
Carly Fiorina did not support comprehensive immigration reform. “But [Fiorina] also broke with members in both parties who believe a comprehensive immigration package is needed to address the problem. ‘So then Barbara Boxer, President Obama, say, ‘oh my gosh, we have to have comprehensive immigration reform.’ You don’t need comprehensive immigration reform to secure the border. And you don’t need comprehensive immigration reform to have a temporary worker program that works. Those are responsibilities of the federal government that they have today and they are failing at those responsibilities,’ she said.” [Politico, 5/1/10]
Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal said it would be a “mistake” to pass the DREAM Act before securing the borders. “HUNT: So it would be a mistake JINDAL: (CROSSTALK) HUNT: – it would be a mistake to pass the DREAM Act now? JINDAL: To do it now? Absolutely. I think the first thing they have to do to restore trust with the American people is secure the borders. Let’s also have an honest discussion about immigration. I also write in the book we as American people, we are not going to kick children out of school. We are not going to turn people away from hospitals. That is not who we are as a people.” [Bobby Jindal Interview – Bloomberg TV, 12/3/10]
Bobby Jindal told president Obama to “man up” and secure the border immediately, and said the U.S. did not “need a comprehensive” immigration reform bill. “Jindal, making his third trip to Iowa in the past year, spent the majority of his speech focusing on the American dream, and linking it to his personal story. He drew laughs at several points during his remarks as he made jabs at President Barack Obama. ‘How many moms and dads have told their little children, ‘anybody can grow up to become President of the United States’? Now, unfortunately, we learned how true that was in 2012 and 2008,’ the Louisiana governor said. Jindal, who is from the South, also had harsh words about the ongoing immigration problem. ‘I have a very simple message for the president of the United States: We don’t need a comprehensive bill, we don’t need another thousand page bill. He simply needs to man up. He needs to secure the border; he needs to get it done today. No more excuses. No more delays,’ Jindal said.” [NBC News, 8/10/14]
John Kasich
John Kasich supported amending the constitution to end birthright citizenship. “While Strickland and Kasich agree that Ohio should not enact an immigration law similar to Arizona’s, they clash on related issues. The governor would maintain birthright citizenship for children born here to illegal immigrants. Kasich, a former Fox News commentator, has been a longtime supporter of amending the Constitution to end the automatic right.” [Columbus Dispatch, 9/26/10]
Rand Paul
Rand Paul supported legislation ending the President’s program to defer deportation for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. “Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said in an interview published Thursday that he supports legislation ending the president’s program to defer deportation for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. Speaking to Breitbart News during a medical mission in Guatemala, Paul lent his backing to House Republican efforts to address the crisis of unaccompanied minors crossing the southern U.S. border. ‘I’m supportive of the House bill and I think it will go a long way to fixing the problem,” Paul said. “But like everything else, nothing good has happened because Sen. Reid has decided that he’s not going to allow any votes on any bills this year because he’s protecting his members who are vulnerable in the election — he’s protecting them from any kind of votes. So I think there’s a very good chance the House bill could pass in the Senate, but it won’t ever pass if it doesn’t ever see the light of day.’” [Huffington Post, 8/21/14]
Rand Paul introduced an amendment to remove a pathway to citizenship from immigration reform. “Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced an amendment Thursday to the Senate immigration bill that would effectively strip the bill’s path to citizenship and require illegal immigrants to apply through regular channels. The ‘No New Pathway to Citizenship Act’ amendment would allow illegal immigrants to remain in the United States as Registered Provisional Immigrants — a new work visa category — but force them to apply as though they were still in their home country.” [Washington Post, 6/20/13]
Rand Paul introduced a constitutional amendment to end birthright citizenship. “Republican Sens. David Vitter (La.) and Rand Paul (Ky.) are seeking to deny birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants by changing the U.S. Constitution. The Supreme Court has consistently held that the Fourteenth Amendment grants automatic citizenship to those born on U.S. soil, but Vitter and Paul said Thursday that right should not extend to the children of undocumented parents. They introduced a congressional resolution that would amend the Constitution and close what they call a ‘loophole.’ It’s incorrect to assume ‘the 14th Amendment confers birthright citizenship to the children of illegal aliens, either by its language or intent,’ read a statement from the Senators. ‘This resolution makes clear that under the 14th Amendment a person born in the United States to illegal aliens does not automatically gain citizenship.’” [Huffington Post, 1/27/11]
Rick Perry
Rick Perry opposed a federal DREAM Act despite supporting similar legislation in Texas. “In sharp contrast to the national Republican Party line, Texas Gov. Rick Perry still supports his state’s version of the so-called DREAM Act, which permits foreign-born children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state college tuition. ‘To punish these young Texans for their parents’ actions is not what America has always been about,’ the potential dark horse GOP candidate told the New Hampshire Union Leader in his first New Hampshire interview of the 2012 campaign cycle. Perry has not yet announced whether he will run for president, but he polls well. Real Clear Politics’s average of polls, for example, puts him in fourth place behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Michele Bachmann, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who is also undeclared. Perry opposes passing such legislation on the federal level, but his stance on immigration could tarnish his star among conservatives, who have fought efforts in other states and the U.S. Congress to pass similar legislation.” [U.S. News & World Report, 7/25/11]
Rick Perry threatened to sue the Obama administration over Pres. Obama’s executive actions on undocumented immigrants. “Texas Gov. Rick Perry says that his home state may lead the charge against President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration by suing his administration. ‘I think that’s probably a very real possibility,’ Perry said of a Texas-led lawsuit against the president over the deportation relief Obama is expected to announce Thursday evening.” [NBC News, 11/19/2014]
Mike Pence
Mike Pence voted against the DREAM Act. In December 2010, Pence voted against the DREAM Act, a bill that, according to Congressional Quarterly, “would [have] allow[ed] the Homeland Security Department to grant the undocumented children of illegal immigrants conditional nonimmigrant status if they [met] certain requirements, including that they have been in the United States continuously for more than five years and were younger than 16 when they entered the country, and that they have been admitted to a U.S. college or university or enlisted in the military, and were younger than 30 on the date of enactment. The measure would [have] require[d] such individuals to pay an application surcharge of $525 and, after five years, pay an additional $2,000 to renew their conditional status for another five years, when they would be eligible to apply for legal permanent status.” The vote was on the motion to concur with two Senate amendments to the underlying bill – which dealt with transferring certain cases from state courts to federal district courts – and concur in the third Senate amendment with a House amendment that added the DREAM Act. The House agreed to the motion by a vote of 216 to 198, but the amended bill died after the Senate voted against ending debate on it. [House Vote 625, 12/8/10; Congressional Quarterly, 12/8/10; Congressional Quarterly, 12/13/10; Congressional Actions, H.R. 5281; House Report 111-677, 12/8/10]
Mike Pence co-sponsored a bill to eliminate birthright citizenship. “The idea also has traction among House Republicans, where Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) is leading the drive for the Birthright Citizenship Act, which would deny citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants by statute instead of repealing the amendment. The legislation has 93 co-sponsors, including prominent members such as Reps. Lamar Smith (R-Texas.) and Mike Pence (R-Ind.).” [The Hill, 8/3/10]
Mike Pence called Arizona’s draconian immigration laws “a good faith [effort] to try and restore order to their communities.” “PENCE: Yeah. Look, the American people are frustrated with the lack of leadership out of this administration, whether it’s the people of Arizona seeing a lack of seriousness about border security or internal enforcement, have made a good faith to try and restore order to their communities, whether it be the people of the Gulf Coast, Governor Bobby Jindal, who’s been clamoring now for months for energetic leadership, or whether it’s — or whether it’s millions of Americans at the county fair I was at last Friday night that were saying, ‘When is this administration going to focus on getting spending under control and getting this economy moving with the time- honored principles of growth that previous Republican and Democrat administrations have embraced?’” [Fox News Sunday, 7/18/10]
Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio flip flopped to oppose his own comprehensive immigration reform bill. “Back in April, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., stood before cameras with the bipartisan ‘Gang of Eight’ and joked he wasn’t quite sure he was ready to sign onto their comprehensive immigration reform plan. ‘Actually, I changed my mind,’ Rubio joked to laughter as he pretended to walk away from the podium. ‘No, I’m kidding.’ But fast forward four months after the bill he helped craft passed the Senate, and Rubio’s not joking anymore. Instead of advocating for the comprehensive bill he signed onto, Rubio’s now saying a piecemeal approach is more ‘realistic.’ As first reported by Breitbart News, a spokesman for Rubio said ‘a series of individual bills’ on immigration reform may be more practical than comprehensive immigration reform at this time.” [ABC News, 10/28/13]
Marco Rubio opposed the DREAM Act for going “too far.” “Senator Rubio went as far as to address the DREAM Act that protested him moments earlier. He even appeared, somewhat surprisingly, sympathetic to them. He said he understood their circumstances and agreed that something should be done to address the plight of those who came to this country as children and have excelled in either education or the military. This observer, was virtually holding his breath, as some might have expected Rubio to then proclaim his support for the DREAM Act, but alas, he did not. He stated that the current bills before Congress, i.e., the DREAM Act, went too far.” [The Huffington Post, Ediberto Roman, 1/27/12]
Marco Rubio called on the Obama administration to “wind down” deferred action on deportation for the children of undocumented immigrants. “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Thursday called on the Obama administration to ‘wind down’ a policy that has helped more than 550,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, an action that would restart deportations of young people who have lived here for years. Rubio’s demand came in a statement outlining suggestions for addressing the crisis of more than 57,000 unaccompanied minors who have crossed the U.S. border illegally since October.” [Huffington Post, 7/25/14]
Rick Santorum
Rick Santorum claimed immigration was suppressing wages for U.S. citizens and labeled immigration reform legislation as “amnesty.” “‘We don’t have to talk about immigration. If we do, you know what we should talk about? How immigration is suppressing their wages and keeping their wages down and not allowing them and their family the opportunity to rise in America,’ he added. He said the GOP doesn’t have to endorse ‘bringing in two and a half million people a year and give amnesty to 13 million people,’ alluding to the reforms of the comprehensive legislation that passed the Senate last year.” [The Hill, 7/14/14]