GOP Nominees Stance on Immigration

Over the course of the campaign season, we have learned a lot about what the GOP nominees have to say regarding their stance on immigration. While sound bites don’t give the whole picture, here are some examples of what they have said both throughout their campaign and during the debates regarding the issue of immigration.

Michelle Bachmann

Bachmann has advocated for a fence on “every inch” of the US border with Mexico. She has also called the extension of benefits to illegal immigrants “madness.” Back in 2010, Bachmann voted against immigration legislation that would have provided a path to citizenship.

During the most recent debates, Bachmann said the following: “I don’t agree that you would make 11 million workers legal, because that in effect is amnesty.” While it is unclear what she intended, it is very clear that Bachmann has stood strongly against any process that would allow immigrants who are here illegally to do anything that would potentially make it legal for them to stay.

Herman Cain

Like Bachmann, Cain has said he opposes “amnesty in every form.” One of the sound bites he got the most coverage for was when he spoke about building a 20-foot wall with a moat and alligators at the Mexican border. Later he said this was a joke. This was followed by calling for an electrified fence, then said that the electric fence was another joke. To be fair, he followed that up by saying that it might not be a joke.

During the debate, Cain made his position clear on the recent immigration legislation passed by states like Arizona. “To deal with the illegals that are already here, empower the states to do what the federal government is not capable of doing.” Apparently Cain does not agree with the Supreme Court’s rulings to the contrary.

Newt Gingrich

Throughout the campaign, Gingrich has called for “100 percent control of the border” which he says can be accomplished by using the National Guard to patrol the Mexican border. He has also shown a more nuanced understanding of the immigration situation though: “We are not going to deport 11 milllion people. There has to be some zone between deportation and amnesty.”

During the debate, Gingrich highlighted a more philosophical problem that he has with the GOP’s approach to immigration saying, “I don’t see how the party that says it’s the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families that have been here a quarter-century.”

Jon Hunstman

Huntsman hasn’t seemed to give a clear idea of where he stands on immigration. He has said that the idea of a fence “repulses” him, but he has also said that it’s probably necessary. He has said he favors a path to citizenship for those already here. “There’s got to be an alternative rather than sending people back. That’s unrealistic.” He hasn’t clearly identified how he would make that happen as “amnesty” has become a dirty word.

Ron Paul

While Paul has pushed for a reduction in the role of the military overseas, he sees other ways that the troops can be used once they are called home. He has called for employing the military to patrol the Mexican border. He has said he opposes a border fence.

Paul has said, “If you subsidize something or give people incentives, you get more of it. So if you give easy road to citizenship, you’re going to have more illegals.”

Rick Perry

Perry has advocated for securing the border first, but disagrees with those arguing for a fence. He has said a 30-foot wall on the border would only improve the “35-foot ladder business.” Perry received a lot of criticism from his GOP counterparts when he defended a Texas law that lets illegal immigrants pay in-state tuition to state colleges. He has since waffled a bit on this statement, but seems to support the idea of letting undocumented students receive aid.

Mitt Romney

Romney has come out in favor of the construction of a fence along the border. He has also been critical of the Perry-approved tuition breaks for illegal immigrants in Texas. While Romney has favored a path to citizenship in the past, he has since come out against amnesty. “We cannot give amnesty to those who have come here illegally.”

Like Ron Paul, Romney has said, “If people who come here illegally are going to get to stay illegally for the rest of their life, that’s going to only encourage more people to come here illegally.”

Rick Santorum

While Santorum has said that the fence construction should be finished along the border, he also has stated that mass deportations are not the answer. This seems to be somewhat contradicted by other statements he has made. “Until we build that border, we should neither have storm troopers come in and throw people out of the country nor should we provide amnesty.” This suggests that deportations should not take place until the fence is in place–no statement on what should be done once the fence is built.

Where the Candidates Will Go From Here

Generally, candidates will move toward the middle during the general election, but it is clear that the GOP candidates will stay tough on immigration until they are nominated. At that time, it will be interesting to see how candidates cater to the large immigrant voting population.