Posted on 04/24/2015 4:12:26 PM PDT by VinL
Sen. Ted Cruz on Friday took a shot at rival presidential contender Scott Walker for comments the Wisconsin governor has made regarding immigration policy.
Cruz opposes comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for the estimated 11-12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. But the Texan is a big proponent of legal immigration and making adjustments to U.S. law that would facilitate more legal immigration. He criticized Walker for suggesting that he supported limiting legal immigration if it has a negative impact on the wages of American workers.
"There is considerable bipartisan agreement outside of Washington that we need to improve and streamline legal immigration so that we can remain a nation that welcomes and celebrates legal immigrants," Cruz said in an interview with the Washington Examiner during a brief campaign swing through Las Vegas.after cost estimates came in higher than anticipated.
I think it is a mistake for any politician to on the one hand embrace amnesty, embrace a pathway to citizenship for those who are here illegally, and on the other hand seek to restrict or punish legal immigrants," Cruz continued. "I am the son of an immigrant who came legally from Cuba. [President Ronald] Reagan referred to legal immigrants as Americans by choice and there is no stronger advocate of legal immigration in the U.S. Senate than I am."
"I think the right approach is to secure the border, follow the rule of law and embrace and improve legal immigration," Cruz said.
Walker has conceded a change of heart on immigration policy as he gears up to launch a 2016 presidential bid. The governor, 47, previously supported a pathway to legal status for illegal immigrants. Now he is opposed. Supporting a pathway to legalization or citizenship could be problematic for a Republican candidate seeking his party's White House nomination.
But in a recent interview with conservative talk show host Glenn Beck, Walker appeared to move farther to the right on immigration than even amnesty hawks like Cruz. Here's what Walker said, as reported by Breitbart. (read more)
That’s a nice chart. I wonder is it is inversely related to the fertility rate, which was at a high after WWII and is now at an all time low. If you want to stop all immigration, get Americans to start having children again.
If the population is not replaced, the economy shrinks. Simple math. If Americans won’t reproduce, immigrants are needed.
hey ted..
if this comes to a vote, will you even bother to show up?
I’ve lost trust in Walker. He supported amnesty in 2013. Now he chains he’s against it. He used to be against ethanol subsidies to farmers. But at last month’s Iowa Ag Summit Walker flip-flopped and said he supported them. Hard to know when to believe what this guy says. Ted Cruz is the clear choice in 2016. He’s the only true conservative running.
Both parties have abandoned the American worker. You are part of the problem if you advocate maintaining the current legal immigration levels or higher. We have no shortage of labor. Milton Friedman said, “You cannot simultaneously have free immigration and a welfare state.” We have both.
Generally I agree, which is why Walker's position on legal immigration is so different and why it will invoke attacks from the GOP's corporate paymasters and political establishment. It remains to be seen if Walker will be forced to back down.
As of yesterday, Friday, Walker is holding firm: Pressed by Young Republicans, Scott Walker Sticks to Tough Immigration Stance
He repeated that view Friday after a speech in Cedar Rapids, when Eddie Failor, 24, expressed concern “as a young Republican” that the party must make inroads to new voter blocs, including by supporting a comprehensive overhaul of immigration.
Mr. Walker told Mr. Failor that his top priority would be securing the border. He also said he favored “making sure the legal immigration system is based on making our No. 1 priority to protect American workers and their wages.’’
Alexander Staudt, the treasurer of the University of Iowa College Republicans, also told Mr. Walker in the meet-and-greet line that he was concerned that by talking tough on immigration, Republican candidates would turn off Hispanics.
“In terms of how wide or how narrow the door’s open, our No. 1 priority is American workers and American wages,’’ Mr. Walker told him. “I don’t know how anyone can argue against that.’’
It is not the lack of a message that results in immigrants and minorities supporting the Dems, the party of Big Government. What exactly should be the message of the Reps that will sway immigrants and minorities to vote GOP? Please articulate it.
We are not replacing the population with our immigration policies, we are increasing it. While they did not receive much attention when they were released last month, new projections from the Census Bureau show the enormous impact of immigration on the U.S. population. For the first time, the Bureau projected the future size of the immigrant (foreign-born) population and found that by 2023 immigrants will account for more than one in seven U.S. residents (51 million) — the largest share ever recorded in American history. Driven largely by legal immigration, not illegal immigration, the immigrant population will grow to nearly one in five U.S. residents (78 million) by 2060, the Bureau projects.1 The total U.S. population will grow to almost 417 million — 108 million more than in 2010.
http://cis.org/sites/cis.org/files/immigration-population-highest.png">
Ted Cruz does not favor deporting the illegal aliens and he is for increased legal immigration. Is that being a conservative?
Walker wanted to give all 11 million illegals here citizenship as recently as 2013. That means they can vote, get social security and other benefits. Cruz is firmly against that. I stand with Cruz. Walker will say anything to get elected. A man should stand behind his words.
Freedom.
Self reliance.
Individualism.
American exceptionalism, the Constitution, ShiningCity on the Hill, brother.
You know, conservatism. It’s really not that hard to articulate it if you believe in it, and the GOP clearly doesn’t and hasn’t outside of Ronald Reagan, and it’s really easy for any honest person with a brain to see.
It’s the old why vote for democrats with an R by their name when you can vote for democrats with a D by their name? Something the GOP never learns and apparently much of their base never learns either.
I’m sure you have heard people ask why does’t the GOP go out and sell their ideas and tell people what they are going to do and what they believe in, have you not?
Well the answer is they don’t have any ideas, they don’t believe in anything, and they aren’t going to do anything outside of advancing the government agenda, which is exactly what they have been doing.
But I’m sure if we elect a bunch of republicans in 2016 they will finally get around to advancing even one item of the conservative agenda...NOT!
“that includes a path to citizenship for the estimated 11-12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States.”
LOL....try 22-24 million illegals. The 11 million figure has been floated since 2002.
Good catch, Geron.
No, I’m not.
I am not part of the federal government, thus I am not part of the problem.
And I gave the reason that I support legal immigration in post 318, and I am going to continue to support it. If you don’t want to support it, then don’t.
” I guess FR’s resident liberals missed that part in their zeal to elect Walker and his Romney flip flopping.
But then anything but a conservative is what they want.”
Walker has flip flopped on every major issue that is important to me. Walker is DEAD to me. I have posted the proof of Walker’s con dozens of times. Some people don’t want the truth.
” They want another Romney like they voted for last time. They want more Bhoner like they demaded and more Turtle like they demanded. It’s all there in the post history. “
Those of us who have been here for over a decade, know many of the phonies by name. We don’t even need the posting history : )
I am absolutely in favor of attracting the best and brightest minds to America. I would much prefer they come here as opposed to competing countries. Talented qualified immigrants are an engine of economic growth and an advantage we have on most of the rest of the world. To think otherwise is foolish and shortsighted. 40% of the largest U.S. companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Recent examples include Google, Ebay, and Intel. Think how many U.S. jobs were created because those individuals were allowed to come to our country. Protectionism won’t work in the long run. It will make us weaker and less competitive. Cruz understands this which is why he has my complete support. Walker didn’t finish college so he may have missed that class.
Ansell and Jim, two FReepers who in many ways are really solid political thinkers, allow ANGER to sway them here in their anti-immigration stance, and it surprises me no end to see Jim Noble taking this position. (Ansell, whom I ping out of courtesy protocol, I long ago learned has limited capacity to grasp conservative limited government principles and indulges an exceedingly nasty disposition that includes bearing false witness, so I habitually skip his posts the same way I'll tune-out vitriolic garbage on a radio station, as a way of being kind to myself) ... but Jim Noble?
Jim, let's say you had your way and America was 15 years into a 20-year embargo on ALL immigrants. Education in America, plus work ethics in American youths, are inferior to say the least, certainly inferior on a world-wide scope. You would be forcing companies in America to hire and reward these dolts, you would be limiting the pool of innovative entrepreneurs, to these dolts, and PREVENTING people from other nations who are MUCH better educated and who have a MUCH better work ethic, from contributing so very much of value to the U.S. economy and to U.S. patriotic morale.
Fifteen years into it, informed Americans and informed folks the world over, would be rightly disgusted with the mind-set that so stupidly decided that ending legal immigration would do anything but HARM on every level.
Calls to halt legal immigration are short sighted at best, mean and anger-based at worst.
AMEN!!! Well said, JJ!!!!
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