Summary of the Candidates Postions on Immigration

USA Today ran a story recently titled: Immigration at Front of 2016 Presidential Race.

The article summarized the positions on Immigration of the current and likely Presidential candidates.  It is a must read for anyone who is interested in how the future of Immigration law is likely to shape up depending on who wins the white house in 2016. Their stances are varied.

Hillary Clinton, the front runner in the Democratic party supports a pathway to citizenship that would likely go even further than the stance of President Obama.

“Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, for example, has abandoned his past support for comprehensive immigration reform and moved to the right, denouncing “amnesty” and discussing the need to possibly limit legal immigration to protect U.S. workers.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida was one of the four Republican negotiators who authored a bipartisan immigration-reform bill that passed the Senate in 2013, but he since has distanced himself from the legislation, which included a pathway to citizenship.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, describes himself as a supporter of legal immigration, but he opposes a pathway to citizenship and “amnesty.”

Likewise, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., at times has signaled an openness toward immigration reform, but he voted against the 2013 Senate bill and like other Republicans opposes Obama’s executive action and “amnesty” and wants border security first””.

It is clear that Immigration will be a key early issue in the fight to see who will be our next President.

According to the article: “observers are pessimistic about the chances for passage of immigration-reform legislation even in the early administration of the next president, given that at least the House is expected to remain under Republican control after the 2016 election. But the Republican primary maneuvering on immigration could again complicate the party’s chances to win the White House in the general election.”

“Latino voters are going to be a critical factor in at least five swing states: Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Florida and Virginia,” Sharry of America’s Voice said. “Obviously, Jeb Bush is trying to maintain a center-right position on immigration reform in order to remain competitive in the general election. The question is will Republican primary voters reward him or punish him?”

It will be interesting to see how the candidates do in the primaries.  It is clear that how they view Immigration will be critical with the voters.

Lawrence Gruner is a green card attorney, a fiancé visa attorney and an Immigration Attorney in Sacramento.  He would be happy to talk to you about your Immigration issue, free of charge.  He may be reached at 916-709-4643.