2012: In the aftermath of Mitt Romney’s defeat in 2012, the Republican National Committee issued a report calling for a rebrand of the Republican Party, in part to help better reach Hispanic voters.
“The Republican Party is one of tolerance and respect, and we need to ensure that the tone of our message is always reflective of these core principles.”
“We must embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform. If we do not, our Party’s appeal will continue to shrink to its core constituencies only.”
“If Hispanics think we do not want them here, they will close their ears to our policies.”
2015: Jeb Bush and Donald Trump use the term “anchor babies.”
Jeb Bush: “You know, ‘anchor babies’, as they’re described, coming into the country.”
Donald Trump: “I’d much rather find out whether or not ‘anchor babies’ are citizens because a lot of people don’t think they are.”
Jeb, Trump, and other 2016 GOP presidential candidates continue to hold extreme, out-of-touch and out-of-date positions on immigration. From Scott Walker’s opposition to birthright citizenship, to Jeb and Trump’s use of the term “anchor babies,” it is clear that the GOP’s brand has remained out-of-touch and out-of-date.
DONALD TRUMP
“I’ll use the word anchor baby.”
Donald Trump: “I’d much rather find out whether or not anchor babies are citizens because a lot of people don’t think they are.” “The GOP presidential hopeful does not, however, support amending the Constitution to repeal birthright citizenship, saying it would be a ‘long process.’ ‘I think it would take too long,’ he told Fox News. ‘I’d much rather find out whether or not anchor babies are citizens because a lot of people don’t think they are. We’re going to test it out.’” [CBS News, 8/19/15]
Donald Trump: “I’ll use the word anchor baby.” REPORTER: Anchor baby, that’s an offensive term, people find that hurtful TRUMP: You mean it’s not political correct and yet everybody uses it? REPORTER: Look it up in the dictionary, it’s offensive. TRUMP: Give me a different term, give me a different term. What else would you like to say. REPORTER: A child, an American born child of an undocumented immigrant. TRUMP: You want me to say that, okay, I use the word anchor baby. Excuse me, I’ll use the word anchor baby.” [ABC News, 8/19/15]
Donald Trump: “Some four million anchor babies are now officially U.S. citizens. This has to stop.” “Some four million anchor babies are now officially U.S. citizens. This has to stop. The only other major country in the world that issues citizenship based on where one’s mother delivers her child is Canada. The rest of the world bases citizenship on who the kid’s parents are, which is of course the only sane standard.” [Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again, pg. 141, 2011]
Donald Trump: “As for what to do about illegal immigration, we should follow the repeal of the anchor baby provisions with a five-point program.” “Now, as for what to do about illegal immigration, we should follow the repeal of the anchor baby provisions with a five-point program to create a smart and humane plan to get illegal immigration under control.” [Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again, pg. 146, 2011]
Donald Trump: “What happens is they’re in Mexico, they’re going to have a baby, they move over here for a couple of days, they have the baby.” “The real estate magnate, however, claims that those born on U.S. soil to illegal immigrants don’t have full citizens’ rights. ‘What happens is they’re in Mexico, they’re going to have a baby, they move over here for a couple of days, they have the baby,’ he told O’Reilly. Trump asserted, ‘Many lawyers are saying that’s not the way it is in terms of this,’ and went on to say, ‘They are saying it is not going to hold up in court. It will have to be tested but they say it will not hold up in court.’” [CBS News, 8/19/15]
End Birthright Citizenship
Donald Trump made ending birthright citizenship a pillar of his immigration plan, calling it “the biggest magnet for illegal immigration.” “End birthright citizenship. This remains the biggest magnet for illegal immigration. By a 2:1 margin, voters say it’s the wrong policy, including Harry Reid who said ‘no sane country’ would give automatic citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants.” [“Immigration Reform That Will Make America Great Again,” accessed 8/20/15]
JEB BUSH
“You know, anchor babies…”
Jeb Bush: “[We need] better enforcement so that you don’t have these, you know, ‘anchor babies’, as they’re described, coming into the country.” Jeb Bush doesn’t want birthright citizenship to go away, but he is calling for stronger enforcement for people who abuse it. ‘If there’s abuse, if people are bringing — pregnant women are coming in to have babies simply because they can do it, then there ought to be greater enforcement,’ Bush said on Bill Bennett’s conservative radio show, ‘Morning in America’ Wednesday. ‘That’s [the] legitimate side of this. Better enforcement so that you don’t have these, you know, ‘anchor babies’, as they’re described, coming into the country.’ ‘Anchor babies’ is a derogatory term used to describe children who are born in the United States to undocumented parents.” [Politico, 8/20/15]
MIKE HUCKABEE
Change the Constitution: End Birthright Citizenship
Mike Huckabee, according to his top immigration surrogate, proposed amending the Constitution to prevent children of undocumented immigrants from automatically receiving U.S. citizenship. “Mike Huckabee wants to amend the Constitution to prevent children born in the U.S. to illegal aliens from automatically becoming American citizens, according to his top immigration surrogate — a radical step no other major presidential candidate has embraced. Mr. Huckabee, who won last week’s Republican Iowa caucuses, promised Minuteman Project founder James Gilchrist that he would force a test case to the Supreme Court to challenge birthright citizenship, and would push Congress to pass a 28th Amendment to the Constitution to remove any doubt.” [Washington Times,1/8/08]
TED CRUZ
Change the Constitution: End Birthright Citizenship
Ted Cruz declared his support for amending the Constitution to end birthright citizenship. “Ted Cruz set himself apart from much of the 2016 GOP field—including Donald Trump—by saying on Wednesday that he’d support amending the Constitution as a way to end birthright citizenship. Trump set off a firestorm of debate among 2016 Republicans after unveiling an immigration agenda over the weekend that calls for an end to birthright citizenship, a right enshrined in the Constitution by the 14th amendment, which grants citizenship to children of illegal immigrants born in America. Calling for an end to birthright citizenship is not new for the Republican field. Cruz has been on the record since at least 2012 saying that the U.S. should stop the policy of granting automatic citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants at birth. Other 2016 GOP contenders, including Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, Ben Carson, and Lindsey Graham, have either criticized or voiced support for ending the policy.” [National Journal, 8/19/15]
LINDSEY GRAHAM
Change the Constitution: End Birthright Citizenship
Lindsay Graham: “We should change our Constitution and say if you come here illegally and you have a child, that child’s automatically not a citizen.”“Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says that the United States should end its policy of guaranteeing citizenship to the children of undocumented immigrants as ensured by the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The South Carolina Senator defined his stance on the immigration issue on Wednesday in an interview with Fox News host Greta Van Susteren. ‘Birthright citizenship I think is a mistake,’ explained Graham. ‘We should change our Constitution and say if you come here illegally and you have a child, that child’s automatically not a citizen.’” [Huffington Post, 7/29/10]
RAND PAUL
Change the Constitution: End Birthright Citizenship
Rand Paul introduced a resolution to amend the Constitution to ensure “a person born in the United States to illegal aliens does not automatically gain 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 SANTORUM
End Birthright Citizenship
Rick Santorum: “Enticements to illegal immigration, such as birthright citizenship, should be ended.” “The burden of eliminating the problems caused by illegal immigration does not only lie at the feet of border enforcement, it is also the responsibility of businesses not to tempt illegal immigrants into our country. This is why I believe the E-Verify system must be made mandatory, apply to existing employees as well as new hires, inform employers if there is no match between the Social Security Number and other information submitted, and inform employees if there is possible identity fraud from excessive multiple use. Other enticements to illegal immigration, such as birthright citizenship, should be ended. Only children born on American soil where at least one parent is a citizen or resident aliens is automatically a U.S. citizen. Of developed countries other than the United States, only Canada has birthright citizenship.” [Rick Santorum, Op-ed, Breitbart, 5/6/15]
BEN CARSON
“anchor babies… doesn’t make any sense to me…”
Ben Carson: “anchor babies… doesn’t make any sense to me…” “Ben Carson: ’The 14th Amendment has been brought up recently about anchor babies, and it doesn’t make any sense to me, that people can come in here and have a baby and that baby becomes an American citizen and allows them to come in,’ he said in Phoenix this week. ‘There are many countries in the world where they simply have recognized that and don’t allow that to occur.’” [NBC, 8/18/15]
End Birthright Citizenship
Ben Carson: “It doesn’t make any sense to me, that people can come in here and have a baby and that baby becomes an American citizen.” “Ben Carson: ’The 14th Amendment has been brought up recently about anchor babies, and it doesn’t make any sense to me, that people can come in here and have a baby and that baby becomes an American citizen and allows them to come in,’ he said in Phoenix this week. ‘There are many countries in the world where they simply have recognized that and don’t allow that to occur.’” [NBC, 8/18/15]
MARCO RUBIO
Open to Ending Birthright Citizenship
Marco Rubio was open to the idea of ending birthright citizenship. “Marco Rubio, who is running for president thanks to birthright citizenship, says he is open to the idea of ending it for children who were born in the United States to foreign parents. ‘I’m not in favor of repealing the 14th Amendment,’ Rubio said during a Tuesday news conference at the rain-soaked Iowa State Fair. ‘But I am open to exploring ways of not allowing people who are coming here deliberately for that purpose to acquire citizenship.’” [National Journal, 8/18/15]
Marco Rubio said he was open to actions that would prevent people coming to the U.S. to take advantage of birthright citizenship. “Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio said Tuesday that he disagrees with the call his party’s front-runner, Donald Trump, made for ending the practice of automatically granting citizenship to children born in this country, even if their parents are not here legally. ‘I don’t agree with that,’ the Florida senator told reporters on at the Iowa State Fair when asked about Trump’s opposition to birthright citizenship. ‘I’m open to doing things that prevent people who deliberately come to the U.S. for purposes of taking advantage of the 14th Amendment, but I’m not in favor of repealing it.’” [Bloomberg, 8/18/15]
SCOTT WALKER
End Birthright Citizenship
Scott Walker asked if he supports ending birthright citizenship said, “Yeah, to me it’s about enforcing the laws in this country.” “Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker said Monday that he believes the children of undocumented immigrants shouldn’t automatically have a right to American citizenship if they’re born in the United States. Asked directly by msnbc if birthright citizenship should be ended, the Wisconsin governor replied: ‘Yeah, to me it’s about enforcing the laws in this country. And I’ve been very clear, I think you enforce the laws, and I think it’s important to send a message that we’re going to enforce the laws, no matter how people come here we’re going to enforce the laws.’” [MSNBC, 8/17/15]
BOBBY JINDAL
“Happy” to Say Anchor Babies
Bobby Jindal said he is “happy to use the term” anchor baby and that “folks today are too ease live offended.” “HEMMER: But, you’ll use anchor baby, right, as a phrase? JINDAL: Yeah look, I think folks today are too ease live offended. They are too politically correct. The real issue here is, yeah I’m happy to use the term, but the reality is, the real issue here is when you secure our border. The bigger frustration from the American people. It doesn’t seem to matter who is in charge in D.C. secure the borders. Stop illegal immigration.” [Fox News, 8/20/15]
End Birthright Citizenship
Bobby Jindal tweet: “We need to end birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants.” [Bobby Jindal, (@BobbyJindal), 8/17/15 3:52 p.m. EDT]
CHRIS CHRISTIE
End Birthright Citizenship
Chris Christie: “[Birthright citizenship] may have made sense at some point in our history, but right now, we need to re-look at all that.” “Chris Christie: ’I think all this stuff needs to be reexamined in light of the current circumstances,’ he told Laura Ingraham this month. ‘[Birthright citizenship] may have made sense at some point in our history, but right now, we need to re-look at all that.’” [NBC, 8/18/15]
JOHN KASICH
Change the Constitution: End Birthright Citizenship
John Kasich was called a “longtime supporter” of ending 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, 11/26/10]