Donald Trump’s 35% win in New Hampshire confirmed it: xenophobic, anti-immigrant red meat and policies are what win over the Republican base these days. Offensive, anti-immigrant policy proposals and rhetoric have been a constant the entirety of the GOP presidential primary — their prominence and consistency perhaps only rivaled by Donald Trump’s months-long polling dominance.
Trump may have ratcheted things up the most with his unabashed demagoguery and offensive characterization, but it’s not like it started with him. The rest of the GOP field has similar views — and, like Trump, not one candidate supports a pathway to citizenship.
Here’s a rundown of the GOP field’s anti-immigrant views and positions:
- Ted Cruz opposes both legal status and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. He might support self-deportation, and he definitely opposes DACA and the DREAM Act. Cruz has also expressed support for Arizona’s “papers please” law.
- John “Finish the Wall” Kasich opposes a path to citizenship, DACA, and sanctuary cities. Latinos are hardworking, Kasich’s said, “and, uh, that’s why in the hotel you leave a little tip.”
- Marco Rubio opposes: a path to citizenship, comprehensive immigration reform, and even Obama’s executive order protecting Dreamers against deportation. Like Cruz, he’s said he supported Arizona’s “papers please” law.
- Jeb Bush opposes a path to citizenship and DACA, and he spent a week last August denigrating American citizens as “anchor babies” — kick-starting the Republican dialogue on ending 14 Amendment-guaranteed birthright citizenship.
- Ben Carson opposes a path to citizenship, supports ending birthright citizenship, and says he’d “be willing to listen” to ideas about deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants.
Published: Feb 13, 2016