Hillary Clinton Slams Republicans On Immigration Reform

[Purveyor]

Source: CBS NEWS

ByJake Miller CBS News May 6, 2015, 1:30 AM

Let there be no doubt, Hillary Clinton said Tuesday during her first 2016 campaign stop in Nevada -- I am strongly in favor of comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., and my would-be Republican rivals are not.

"We can't wait any longer for a path to full and equal citizenship," Clinton declared during a roundtable discussion with young Nevadans with undocumented families. "This is where I differ with everybody on the Republican side. Make no mistakes: today, not a single Republican candidate, announced or potential, is clearly or consistently supporting a path to citizenship."

Clinton spurned the idea, floated by some Republicans, of granting legal residency -- but not citizenship -- to undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. "When they talk about legal status, that is code for second class status, and we should never forget who this debate is about," she said. "People who work hard, who love this country, who pay taxes to it, and want nothing more than to build a good future for themselves and their children."

The bulk of the 2016 GOP field has opposed immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship, dubbing it "amnesty" for people who broke the law. But a handful of Republicans have struck a more moderate tone on the issue. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who declared his presidential bid last month, helped spearhead the comprehensive immigration bill that passed the Senate in 2013. That measure included a path to citizenship but ultimately died in the House. Rubio now says he favors a step-by-step approach to the issue. And former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who hasn't declared but appears likely to run, has voiced his openness to a path to citizenship in the past but has recently taken to emphasizing a path to "legal status."

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-slams-gop-on-immigration-reform/

[truthisfreedom]

1. She's locked and loaded. Except Bernie may make her rethink a bit.

[bigdarryl]

3. No one needs to make Hillary think

[gwheezie]

2. I never agreed with a new class of people

It is much too easy to exploit people without citizenship.

[joshcryer]

4. LOL, "path to legal" was Obama's 2008 platform.

I can see the ads now.

"The Republicans are now supporting "path to legal status," a whole 8 years after Democrats."

[Gothmog]

5. I saw excerpts from this speech last night-this is a great move

The GOP is in the process of alienating Hispanic voters and HRC is reaching out to these voters

[greatlaurel]

6. She needs to make a statement that by keeping people undocumented wages for all are suppressed.

The whole undocumented worker issue has been just another wedge to help corporations drive down wages in the US. Illegal immigration mushroomed after Bush 2 was installed as POTUS by the Supreme Court. The undocumented workers were abused by the corporations to replace legal workers with the undocumented in many different industries. Then the GOP blames the Democratic Party for being soft on immigration issues while the GOP backers raked in billions by paying these people so little. Then the GOP uses the old classic divide and conquer racism tactic to rile up ignorant working class whites against the undocumented workers.

I hope Clinton points this out in her campaign. This is a good start.

Good for her.