Our immigration system is a broken system that needs to be fixed. We need reform that provides hardworking people of good character with a real path towards citizenship. — Joe Baca
I support concrete and progressive immigration reform based on three primary criteria: family reunification, economic contributions, and humanitarian concerns. — Jeff Bingaman
As the American public continues to focus more intensely on illegal immigration and securing the nation's borders, the number of members of the House Immigration Reform Caucus continues to grow. — Virgil Goode
As Congress continues to debate ways to address illegal immigration, we must remember the many hard-working legal immigrants that contribute so much to our nation's economy and culture. — Bob Filner
For our immigration policy to make sense, it is necessary to make distinctions between those who obey the law, and those who violate it. — Barbara Jordan
America should be a haven of freedom and prosperity, open to law-abiding migrants who will contribute to our society. However, immigration must proceed in an orderly, lawful manner. — Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Enforcement is the long overdue step to protect our Nation from external threats in a time of war. And then once we do that, we can effectively discuss a guest worker program. — J. D. Hayworth
Mr. Speaker, our Nation depends on immigrants' labor, and I hope we can create an immigration system as dependable as they are. — Luis Gutierrez
It is both a right and a responsibility of a democratic society to manage immigration so that it serves the national interest. — Barbara Jordan
I think when you think about immigration, what we need to do is realize that that human capital, if put in a place to succeed, will literally sacrifice everything. — Chamath Palihapitiya
Immigration is not just compatible with but is a necessary component of economic growth. — Dave Reichert
Immigration is the sincerest form of flattery. — Jack Paar
Few people are as well-situated to speak about the laudable benefits of a humane immigration policy than me. — Gad Saad
If the U.S. government is serious about fighting irregular migration, it should support and encourage legal migration. — Nayib Bukele
Conservatives aren't anti-immigrant - conservatives are pro-legal immigration. — Marco Rubio
Immigration Policy Quotes
Credibility in immigration policy can be summed up in one sentence: Those who should get in, get in; those who should be kept out, are kept out; and those who should not be here will be required to leave. — Barbara Jordan
All the problems we face in the United States today can be traced to an unenlightened immigration policy on the part of the American Indian. — Pat Paulsen
What we see today is an American economy that has boomed because of policies and developments of the 1950s and '60s: the interstate-highway system, massive funding for science and technology, a public-education system that was the envy of the world and generous immigration policies. — Fareed Zakaria
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits.
On Immigration policy and reform [Republicans] are on the wrong side of the track. ... They would have you believe that if they get into office, they are going to make sure that they are going to get rid of everyone in our society who was not born in America. — Maxine Waters
You can’t have a democracy when people don’t learn to put themselves in the shoes of another person, who can’t think what their policies mean for others. — Martha C. Nussbaum
At the basis of a country's immigration policy is the recognition that a country has the right to pursue its interests first, and whenever it wishes to be altruistic and humane, this is instantiated without ever risking the danger of its citizens and/or its cultural values. — Gad Saad
I try to use my influence and empower my community to always question the status quo – whether it relates to broader policy issues or YouTube gossip. — Ryan Higa
I don't see how the party that says it's the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families that have been here a quarter century. — Newt Gingrich
We see unreasoning fear driving a certain amount of public policy, perhaps more in Europe than in the U.S. — Martha C. Nussbaum
Bush equals Clinton equals Bush equals Obama equals Clinton. It's the same policies...immigration policies that may turn us into Europe, where hordes of Islamic madmen are raping, killing, pillaging, defecating in public fountains, harassing private citizens, elderly people - that's what's coming. — Roger Stone
Immigration Quotes
Now, some of the most dangerous places for women to be in the world are modern, Western, rich European countries. Why? One reason. Islamic immigration - it's got to stop. — Milo Yiannopoulos
Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists. — Franklin D. Roosevelt
Hillary Clinton has shown no indication whatsoever of stemming the tide of Islamic immigration, or stopping our mollycoddling, and pandering to Islam. These things are direct threats. Not just to culture, but to the lives of gay people in America. — Milo Yiannopoulos
Western culture is what is at risk from immigration from the Middle East. — Milo Yiannopoulos
A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation. — Ronald Reagan
When I ran I was a first candidate to talk about how immigration was going be so damaging to the American people. When I first ran I talked about affirmative-action. — David Duke
We must be mad, literally mad, as a nation to be permitting the annual inflow of some 50,000 dependents, who are for the most part the material of the future growth of the immigrant-descended population. It is like watching a nation busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre. — Enoch Powell
The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations And Religions; whom we shall wellcome to a participation of all our rights and previleges... — George Washington
There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities. — Theodore Roosevelt
I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong. — George Washington
Immigration Laws Quotes
A Europe that is so proud of its values and so proud of its rule of law has to be able to come up with an answer that is both humane and effective. — Ursula von der Leyen
And after Brexit, we will be free to determine our economic future, with control over our money, laws and borders. — Liz Truss
The laws should be rigidly enforced which prohibit the immigration of a servile class to compete with American labor, with no intention of acquiring citizenship, and bringing with them and retaining habits and customs repugnant to our civilization. — Grover Cleveland
I believe Western culture - rule of law, universal suffrage, etc. - is preferable to Arab culture: that's why there are millions of Muslims in Scandinavia, and four Scandinavians in Syria. Follow the traffic. I support immigration, but with assimilation. — Mark Steyn
If you don't control the borders, it doesn't matter what immigration laws you have. — Thomas Sowell
According to Democrats it's racist, jingoistic and xenophobic to support enforcing America's immigration laws. What's next for Democrats, labeling heterosexual sex as homophobic? — Ted Nugent
Therefore, if we are a Nation of laws and a Nation of immigrants, immigration should occur within a legal framework, not through the machinations of illegal schemes and scams that threaten our national security. — J. D. Hayworth
By finally enforcing our immigration laws, we will raise wages, help the unemployed, save billions and billions of dollars, and make our communities safer for everyone. — Donald Trump
When a law enforcement officer apprehends an illegal immigrant, it makes no sense to simply release that individual who has been breaking our laws with no threat of sanction or penalty. — Bobby Jindal
Legal Immigration Quotes
The Republican Party looks at massive immigration, legal and illegal, as a source of cheap labor, satisfying a very important constituency. — Tom Tancredo
Opening our borders to a flood of illegal immigrants is deliberate ... It's time to impeach; and on behalf of American workers and legal immigrants of all backgrounds, we should vehemently oppose any politician on the left or right who would hesitate in voting for articles of impeachment. — Sarah
On immigration policy, I believe we ought to call an immediate halt, stop illegal immigration and reduce legal immigration back to about 250,000 to 300,000, to more easily assimilate the Americans who've come here in the last 30 years. — Pat Buchanan
We ought to increase legal immigration for our country's advantage. The high-tech world we are now dominating is dependent on educated folks, but we're short...of workers. It is to our nation's advantage to encourage high-powered, smart people to come into our country. — George H. W. Bush
Ronald Reagan basically legalized every illegal immigrant in this country. I just like to bring this up because every week I like to make Republican heads explode about how they love Ronald Reagan, but would despise everything he did. — Bill Maher
[Illegal immigration] costs the taxpayers of the United States a lot of money. And it's unfair to Americans who are working every day to pay their own bills. It's also unfair to a lot of people who have waited in line for years and years in other countries to be legal immigrants. — William J. Clinton
Merely presenting a driver's license or other document based on a birth certificate is not enough for an accurate verification. Biometric verification of identity must be made and then a data base of those persons who have legal status must be checked. — Bob Dole
The difference between past and present immigration experience is the existence of a defiant anti-assimilationist lobby that encourages legal and illegal aliens to resist adapting to the American way of life. — Michelle Malkin
The fact of the matter is that, for years, the restaurant and service industry has been, to a great extent, built on the backs of often underpaid immigrants of often dubious legal status. — Anthony Bourdain
I think we need a real plan, which is why I have offered a much more specific approach to securing the border, fixing the legal immigration system and addressing illegal immigration. — Carly Fiorina
Illegal Immigrants Quotes
We all know the stories about the Human Rights Act... about the illegal immigrant who cannot be deported because, and I am not making this up, he had a pet cat. — Theresa May
According to the California Hospital Association, health care for illegal aliens is costing state taxpayers well over $1 billion a year. Eighty-four hospitals across California have already been forced to close because of unpaid bills by illegal aliens. — Ann Coulter
It is not 'dehumanizing' to call someone an illegal immigrant if he/she resides in the host country illegally. — Gad Saad
One of the critical issues that we have to confront is illegal immigration, because this is a multi-headed Hydra that affects our economy, our health care, our health care, our education systems, our national security, and also our local criminality. — Allen West
They say there are about 12 million illegal immigrants in this country. But if you ask a Native American, that number is more like 300 million. — David Letterman
One thing is very clear: Illegal immigrants are not entitled to benefits. — Barbara Jordan
In a groundbreaking move, the Associated Press, the largest news-gathering organization in the World, will no longer use the term 'illegal immigrant'. They will now use the phrase 'undocumented democrat'. — Jay Leno
We will hear more details on [Donald] Trump`s plans on addressing illegal immigration in the speech tonight, including what Trump plans to do about those 11 million illegal immigrants already in the U.S. — Kellyanne Conway
This problem with illegal immigration is nothing new. In fact, the Indians had a special name for it. They called it "white people." — Jay Leno
We know that a ready amnesty tends to be an invitation to more illegal entries. — Jeff Sessions
Undocumented Immigrants Quotes
Most analysts would agree that if all the undocumented immigrants in California were deported in one day, our state would experience a severe economic downturn. This does not even consider the many cultural and spiritual gifts these immigrants bring to our state and nation. — Roger Mahony
Together, undocumented people like me and our relatives, friends and allies wait for broader immigration reform, not just for Dreamers but also for undocumented workers of all ages and backgrounds who contribute to our economic security and prosperity. — Jose Antonio Vargas
Part of comprehensive immigration reform is not just the path to citizenship for undocumented workers, but also the ability for families to be together. — Pramila Jayapal
In 2007, when I was governor of New York, I proposed that our state once again permit undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver's license. To say the proposal lit a firestorm in the political arena is an understatement. — Eliot Spitzer
We should be the pro-legal immigration party. A party that has a positive platform and agenda on how we can create a legal immigration system that works for immigrants and works for America. — Marco Rubio
[Donald] Trump has been saying that on, day one, the violent undocumented immigrants will be - will leave the country. But what about the rest? What happens to the other 11 or so million, however many there are? — Jake Tapper
If you want to stop illegal immigration, you have to make it so that - so that the people that hire the illegal immigrants will not be in a position to hire them. — Jesse Ventura
Until he announced his immigration policy last week, Obama had the support of most Hispanic voters - but not the enthusiasm they had shown for him in 2008. That may be changing in part because of the decision not to deport young immigrants whose undocumented parents brought them here as children. — Mara Liasson
You wouldn't replace your carpet at home if you still had a hole in the roof...We're talking about any time you start waving a carrot such as American citizenship without securing the borders, that number [of undocumented immigrants] that we have today I believe will double or triple. — Lou Barletta
I want to help correct the inaccurate image of immigration in the media. There is an idea that women's issues are over here and immigration is over there. Three quarters of undocumented workers are women and children. — Gloria Steinem
Illegal Aliens Quotes
The most dangerous area where our laws are not being faithfully executed are the laws designed to protect Americans against the millions of aliens who enter our country illegally every year. — Phyllis Schlafly
Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian. — Robert Orben
How can we protect homeland security unless the government stops the invasion of illegal aliens? — Phyllis Schlafly
If you come across illegal aliens committing crimes, other crimes, you deport them. — Joe Arpaio
Republicans rejected calls for amnesty and we've fought efforts to provide illegal aliens with taxpayer funded benefits. The American people are far closer to our Republican approach to border security than they are to Nancy Pelosi's approach. — Marsha Blackburn
Stopping illegal immigration would mean that wages would have to rise to a level where Americans would want the jobs currently taken by illegal aliens. — Thomas Sowell
What is it with conservatives? Seriously, I'm not trying to be partisan but it seems like if they're anti-illegal alien, they have illegal aliens working for them. If they're anti-gay, they turn out to be gay. If they're super Christian, they're a witch. — Bill Maher
Are Latino-Americans white? Black? Other? Illegal aliens from Mars? Or are we the very face of America? — Raquel Cepeda
The Pentagon tested an anti-missile system in New Mexico Wednesday. The test was an incomplete success. While the interceptor was shooting down the incoming missile, three thousand illegal aliens walked right across the border under its nose. — Argus Hamilton
We can still find middle ground, truly secure our borders, deal with those already here and address our labor needs. But those who advocate giving current illegal aliens and future guest workers a special path to citizenship must compromise. — John Shadegg
Immigrant Quotes
Those who are most sensitive about "politically incorrect" terminology are not the average black ghetto-dweller, Asian immigrant, abused woman or disabled person, but a minority of activists, many of whom do not even belong to any "oppressed" group but come from privileged strata of society. — Theodore Kaczynski
Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave the country. — Theodore Roosevelt
I think those who say that you can't tango if you are not Argentine are mistaken. Tango was an immigrant music... so it does not have a nationality. It's only passport is feeling. — Carlos Gavito
Our attitude towards immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal. We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as the talent and energy allow. Neither race nor place of birth should affect their chances. — Robert Kennedy
We should embrace our immigrant roots and recognize that newcomers to our land are not part of the problem, they are part of the solution. — Roger Mahony
It is not new or unusual for the real Americans, meaning those immigrants who came to America a little bit longer ago, to fear the outsiders, the pretenders, the newcomers. — Luis Gutierrez
It is important that those that do come to settle in the U.K. gain a sense of British identity and share British values. We have always attracted the best and brightest. — Rishi Sunak
And you have to remember that I came to America as an immigrant. You know, on a ship, through the Statue of Liberty. And I saw that skyline, not just as a representation of steel and concrete and glass, but as really the substance of the American Dream. — Daniel Libeskind
I was born in Montreal in 1939, the second son of poor immigrants. — Sidney Altman
I'm a living testament to the value of immigration. I escaped a civil war, and I came to Canada as a refugee, and they gave my family protection. I did my best to pay that country back, and I think I did that. — Chamath Palihapitiya
Reform immigration to make it easy for individuals to come over here, be documented, pay taxes - immigration reform is needed to state that its about work, its not about welfare... Set up a grace period where they can get a work permit... social security card so that they can pay income tax, social security, Medicare. — Gary Johnson
As prime minister, I will pursue three early priorities. Firstly, I will get Britain working again. I have a bold plan to grow the economy through tax cuts and reform. — Liz Truss
I started getting more and more active around immigration reform because this was such a waste of lives, such a waste of potential, such a waste for our country not to have the human capital that we developed - geared toward improving our entire society. — Laurene Powell Jobs
Let’s cut the top rates of stamp duty to enable more movement to take place and also looking at the broader tax reform, simplifying our tax system. — Liz Truss
I will drive reform in my mission to get the United Kingdom working, building and growing. — Liz Truss
A good place to start is with the kids ... One of the great founding principles of our country was that children would not be punished for the mistakes of their parents. It is time to provide an opportunity for legal residence and citizenship for those who were brought to this country as children and who know no other home. — Eric Cantor
I want immigration reform to pass, I want people to be able to come out of the shadows. — Marco Rubio
Insurance, pension reforms are going to be extremely important for the stock market because the kind of money we’ll get from that is unbelievable. — Rakesh Jhunjhunwala
Going forward, as we work to strengthen our border in the interests of homeland security, we must also recognize the economic importance of immigration reform. — Dave Reichert
I don't think it was progressive to vote to give gun makers and sellers immunity. I don't think it was progressive to vote against Ted Kennedy's immigration reform. — Hillary Clinton
America deserves common sense immigration reform that reflects our interests and our values as Americans. — Hank Johnson
Instead of working to undo POTUS exec action, we need to workcollaboratively to achieve comprehensive immigration reform. — Mazie Hirono
I think conventional wisdom is that time is not on our side. But there are a number of members of Congress who have primaries and when those primaries are done, they may be more inclined to address the issue of comprehensive immigration reform. — John McCain
Because a person chooses to leave their home country and come to the United States does not necessarily mean they have the right to demand that their father or their other extended family members be allowed to come if they don't otherwise meet the standard. — Jeff Sessions
I have been for border security for years. I voted for border security in the United States Senate. And my comprehensive immigration reform plan of course includes border security. — Hillary Clinton
I will argue until my last breath for a pathway to citizenship that is quick and efficient because I want to end this chapter. I want to end it...But let me say, conversely, I am as committed as any Republican to ending illegal immigration as we know it...They want to end it. So do I. — Luis Gutierrez
This isn't all going to be done in one day, either. — Jeff Flake
Conservatism has always been about reforming government and solving problems, and that's why the conservative movement should lead on immigration reform. — Marco Rubio
Already were seeing graduates of U.S. higher education going back to their home countries and contributing to societies there, where in the past they would have stayed in the U.S. and built new companies here. We have to have immigration reform that allows talented foreigners to become Americans. — David Malpass
Hard-working immigrant workers in this country deserve a real path to citizenship as a part of comprehensive immigration reform...We will continue to work with the immigrant rights community and our allies in Congress to devise a truly comprehensive model that places immigrant and workers' rights at the head of the line. — John Sweeney
We have a long way to go, some tough issues ahead of us, and I'm sure there will be some obstacles in the path ... But the good faith effort that's being put into this absolutely is encouraging to me and gives me hope. — Dick Durbin
I happen to believe in immigration reform but I don't believe that that means that every person who has come into America should be able to stay. — Andrew Breitbart
Amnesty will not help balance our budget ... In fact, a large-scale amnesty is likely to add trillions of dollars to the debt over time, accelerate Medicare's and Social Security's slide into insolvency and put enormous strain on our public-assistance programs. — Jeff Sessions
The Congress talks and talks and talks and talks, but doesn't act. I'm going to continue to work with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to bring about comprehensive immigration reform. — Luis Gutierrez
The future of the Republican Party, all the different folks looking to lead the Republican Party at the national level in the future, recognize we should do immigration reform. — Grover Norquist
The politics, policies, the President [Barack Obama] and the American people are all pointing in the right direction to fix our immigration system and pass legislation this year. — Luis Gutierrez
I'm also particularly pleased that there is bipartisan support to include the input of border communities. Not only will security be strengthened according to Washington, D.C., but border communities will have a say as well. — Jeff Flake
Moreover, from reforming the tax code to our immigration system, to commonsense legal reform, President Bush put America on notice that he will continue fighting to make the country, and the world, a better place for future generations. — Jim Sensenbrenner
I wish that the Democrats would put some effort into Social Security reform, illegal immigration's reform, tax reform, or some of the other real issues that are out there. — Jack Kingston
I am glad to see the wheels are moving at last toward comprehensive immigration reform after last year's election. I am glad that immigrants are speaking up. — Andrew Lam
Within just a few years immigration as a share of national population is set to break all historical records. The time has come for a new immigration commission to develop a new set of reforms to our legal immigration system in order to achieve the following goals. — Donald Trump
Lost in much of the national debate about immigration reform is how Democrats ultimately stand to gain electorally with any legislation or executive action that would put the newly legalized residents on a path to voting. — Aaron Klein
The majority of surveys throughout this Nation show that the American people are advocating for a comprehensive and realistic approach to immigration reform. — Raul Grijalva
American taxpayers will be forced to foot the bill for the overwhelming costs of amnesty. Under current law, once 11 million illegal immigrants receive probationary status, they will immediately have access to federal benefits like Social Security and Obamacare coverage. If we thought we had a problem with government spending before, just wait. — Lamar S. Smith
We should be proud that so many want to come to America, that it is still seen as the land of opportunity. Let's make it a land of legal work, not black-market jobs. Let's make it a land of work, not welfare. Our land should be one of assimilation, not hiding in the shadows. — Rand Paul
It's the only way that I see that it can be done," McCain said. "Obviously, it has failed in the past, but I also notice there is a somewhat changed attitude on the part of the American people about this issue. — John McCain
We have 11 million people in this country that need a pathway to citizenship. — Dick Durbin
People have a pathway to citizenship right now: It's to abide by the immigration laws, and if they have a family relationship, if they have a job skill that allows them to do that, they can obtain citizenship. — Bob Goodlatte
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