A crowded field of Republican candidates entered the 2016 presidential race with viewpoints on immigration that largely appealed to the party's base.
What to do about the 11 million unauthorized immigrants living in the country? How to secure the nation's borders? How to attract more immigrants with special skills? These Republicans have their ideas.
Donald Trump caused a furor when he addressed immigration during his presidential announcement June 16, 2015, on CNN.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending the best. They're not sending you, they're sending people that have lots of problems and they're bringing those problems. They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime,” Trump said. “They’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people, but I speak to border guards and they're telling us what we're getting.”More »
Few politicians have risen as fast on the national stage as Marco Rubio, Florida's Cuban-American senator.
Rubio was born on May 28, 1971 in Miami to Mario Rubio and Oria Garcia, who were born in Cuba and emigrated to the United States in 1956, several years before Fidel Castro rose to power.
The family moved to Las Vegas when Marco was 8. Mario worked as a bartender and Oria as a housekeeper.More »
When it comes to immigration reform, Ohio Gov. John Kasich ranks among the most moderate presidential candidates of the Republican Party.
Kasich is open to allowing unauthorized immigrants U.S. citizenship, but he also has consistently called for amending the U.S. Constitution to end birthright citizenship for children born to parents who are in the country illegally.
As a former U.S. House member and then governor, Kasich also has worked to stop human trafficking and exploitation of immigrants.
The country needs healing,” he says. “I wouldn’t ever be one to tell you that I don’t change my mind or that my thinking doesn’t evolve. … I’m also a different guy than I was years ago. This job grows you up.”
Kasich said, if elected president, he would be open to allowing a path to citizenship for the 11 million unauthorized immigrants living in the country. However, he’s also said, “I don’t like it when people ditch the line” — when unauthorized immigrants get ahead of those waiting decades to work their way through the federal system legally.More »
Because he has never run for elected office, probably less is known about Dr. Ben Carson’s views on immigration than any other candidate in the 2016 presidential race.
Born in 1951, Benjamin Solomon Carson has achieved successful careers as a neurosurgeon and a conservative author. He graduated from Yale University and the University of Michigan before practicing at Johns Hopkins Hospital, until his retirement in 2013.
“The overwhelming majority of Americans want the southern borders of our country secured and our immigration laws enforced, but several administrations recently have been unwilling to get tough on this issue because they do not want to alienate a large voting bloc of Latinos,” Carson says on his campaign website. “This is yet another area where our government's leadership and the wishes of many of the people diverge and the people are being ignored.”
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie entered the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination in June and brought with him conflicting viewpoints on immigration.
Christie has supported immigration reform and a path to citizenship for the 11 million unauthorized immigrants living in the country. But in the last two years he has waffled on the issues to the point that it’s difficult to know what his views on the 11 million or immigration policy reforms are.
"What I favor is fixing a broken system, and the fact is that everybody knows the system is broken,” he said. “And what Congress needs to do is get to work, working with each other and the president to fix a broken system that's not serving our economy well.More »
What to do about the 11 million unauthorized immigrants living in the country? How to secure the nation's borders? How to attract more immigrants with special skills? These Republicans have their ideas.
Donald Trump, real estate magnate
Donald Trump caused a furor when he addressed immigration during his presidential announcement June 16, 2015, on CNN.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending the best. They're not sending you, they're sending people that have lots of problems and they're bringing those problems. They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime,” Trump said. “They’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people, but I speak to border guards and they're telling us what we're getting.”More »
Marco Rubio, Florida senator
Few politicians have risen as fast on the national stage as Marco Rubio, Florida's Cuban-American senator.
Rubio was born on May 28, 1971 in Miami to Mario Rubio and Oria Garcia, who were born in Cuba and emigrated to the United States in 1956, several years before Fidel Castro rose to power.
The family moved to Las Vegas when Marco was 8. Mario worked as a bartender and Oria as a housekeeper.More »
John Kasich, Ohio governor
When it comes to immigration reform, Ohio Gov. John Kasich ranks among the most moderate presidential candidates of the Republican Party.
Kasich is open to allowing unauthorized immigrants U.S. citizenship, but he also has consistently called for amending the U.S. Constitution to end birthright citizenship for children born to parents who are in the country illegally.
As a former U.S. House member and then governor, Kasich also has worked to stop human trafficking and exploitation of immigrants.
The country needs healing,” he says. “I wouldn’t ever be one to tell you that I don’t change my mind or that my thinking doesn’t evolve. … I’m also a different guy than I was years ago. This job grows you up.”
Kasich said, if elected president, he would be open to allowing a path to citizenship for the 11 million unauthorized immigrants living in the country. However, he’s also said, “I don’t like it when people ditch the line” — when unauthorized immigrants get ahead of those waiting decades to work their way through the federal system legally.More »
Ben Carson, retired physician
Because he has never run for elected office, probably less is known about Dr. Ben Carson’s views on immigration than any other candidate in the 2016 presidential race.
Born in 1951, Benjamin Solomon Carson has achieved successful careers as a neurosurgeon and a conservative author. He graduated from Yale University and the University of Michigan before practicing at Johns Hopkins Hospital, until his retirement in 2013.
“The overwhelming majority of Americans want the southern borders of our country secured and our immigration laws enforced, but several administrations recently have been unwilling to get tough on this issue because they do not want to alienate a large voting bloc of Latinos,” Carson says on his campaign website. “This is yet another area where our government's leadership and the wishes of many of the people diverge and the people are being ignored.”
Chris Christie, New Jersey governor
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie entered the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination in June and brought with him conflicting viewpoints on immigration.
Christie has supported immigration reform and a path to citizenship for the 11 million unauthorized immigrants living in the country. But in the last two years he has waffled on the issues to the point that it’s difficult to know what his views on the 11 million or immigration policy reforms are.
"What I favor is fixing a broken system, and the fact is that everybody knows the system is broken,” he said. “And what Congress needs to do is get to work, working with each other and the president to fix a broken system that's not serving our economy well.More »
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