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Nikki Haley on Immigration
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Refugee ban: What we did was take a pause
Q: What do you think of the administration curtailing immigration from Muslim-majority countries.HALEY: I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants. I believe that the fabric of America is legal immigration. This is not about not wanting people in.
This is about keeping the terrorists out. We should never ban based on religion, I mean, period. We should never. And I don't think that's what this is. We will never close our doors in the United States. We won't. But what we did do was take a pause.
Source: Council on Foreign Relations on Trump Cabinet
, Mar 29, 2017
FactCheck: US does have history of religion-based exclusion
Gov. Haley criticized Donald Trump's immigration policy of excluding Muslims, saying, "we've never in the history of this country passed any laws or done anything based on...religion." Is that true? We checked and readily found numerous cases:-
Until 1828, Jews were disallowed from voting in Maryland.
- In 1838, all Mormons were expelled from Missouri by the Governor's order.
- The Immigration Act of 1924 restricted immigration from Southern & Eastern Europe (which are majority Catholic) in
favor of Northern & Western Europe (which are majority Protestant).
- In 1939, the S.S. St. Louis, carrying 908 Jewish refugees from Hitler's Germany, was denied entrance to the US.
In summary, Haley is incorrect about the US history of religious
laws. And Haley's focus on religious exclusion implies acceptance of country-based exclusion (like disallowing Syrian refugees). A country-based policy echoes that 1924 policy--its intent was to exclude Catholics, but using a more subtle method.
Source: OnTheIssues FactCheck: 2016 State of the Union GOP response
, Jan 13, 2016
Immigrants have come for generations to live the dream
I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants who reminded my brothers, my sister and me every day how blessed we were to live in this country. Growing up in the rural south, my family didn't look like our neighbors, and we didn't have much.
There were times that were tough, but we had each other, and we had the opportunity to do anything, to be anything, as long as we were willing to work for it.
My story is really not much different from millions of other Americans. Immigrants have been coming to our shores for generations to live the dream that is America. They wanted better for their children than for themselves.
That remains the dream of all of us, and in this country we have seen time and again that that dream is achievable.
Source: Republican Party response to 2016 State of the Union speech
, Jan 12, 2016
Don't follow the siren call of anti-immigration anger
During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation.No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country.
At the same time, that does not mean we just flat out open our borders. We can't do that. We cannot continue to allow immigrants to come here illegally. And in this age of terrorism, we must not let in refugees whose intentions cannot be determined.
Source: Republican Party response to 2016 State of the Union speech
, Jan 12, 2016
Protect our borders, our sovereignty, and our citizens
We must fix our broken immigration system. That means stopping illegal immigration. And it means welcoming properly vetted legal immigrants, regardless of their race or religion. Just like we have for centuries.
I have no doubt that if we act with proper focus, we can protect our borders, our sovereignty and our citizens, all while remaining true to America's noblest legacies.
Source: Republican Party response to 2016 State of the Union speech
, Jan 12, 2016
Audit businesses to see if using E-Verify
We already had a strong anti-illegal immigration bill when I became governor. All I wanted to do was enforce it. Our law required businesses to prove they weren't hiring illegal aliens by using, among other methods, a federal database called E-Verify.
The problem is, for E-Verify to work government has to know whether employers are actually using it. Obama's Department of Homeland Security told us we could no longer audit businesses to check if they were using E-Verify. The privacy of the people
being checked, they said, would be compromised if we asked for proof from businesses. Out of the more than 6,000 businesses they had checked, over 2,000 violations had been found. But no more. Now the federal government was saying that we couldn't use
the best and most efficient means we had to enforce our law.
My goal wasn't to overburden employers with rules and regulations. I just wanted to use the easiest and least costly way, to ensure we weren't employing illegals, and that was E-Verify.
Source: Can't Is Not an Option, by Gov. Nikki Haley, p.211-212
, Apr 3, 2012
It's not a racial issue; it's about the rule of law
Pro-illegal immigration groups and, quite frankly, the Obama administration constantly want to make illegal immigration a racial issue. They say those who want to crack down on illegal immigration are being insensitive to minorities.
They say they're shocked to see me, a minority governor, doing such a thing. They could not be more wrong, about me and about illegal immigration.I am the proud daughter of legal immigrants--emphasis on the LEGAL.
My parents played by the rules and waited their turn. They are offended--as I am--by those who try to backdoor the system and come here illegally. When we allow this debate to be about race, we lose sight of the principle that is really at the heart
of it: the rule of law. We are a nation of immigrants, and we're proud of it. But we are first and foremost a nation of laws. If we give up being a nation of laws, we give up everything this country was founded on.
Source: Can't Is Not an Option, by Gov. Nikki Haley, p.213
, Apr 3, 2012
Charge 1% foreign wire fee;& police check immigration status
Excerpts from S 20 legislative records:- It is a felony for a person who has remained in the US in violation of law to conceal themselves from detection or to conspire to conceal that person from state or federal authorities.
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A law enforcement officer, when stopping a person for some other criminal offense, must determine the immigration status of that person if the officer suspects that the person is illegally in the US.
- If a prisoner who is an alien unlawfully present
in the US completes the prisoner's sentence of incarceration, the keeper of the jail shall notify the US Department of Homeland Security [or ICE agency] and shall securely transport the prisoner to a federal facility [for deportation].
- Implement a fee
on wire transfers to foreign countries: a 1% fee with a minimum of $5.
Status:Bill passed Senate, 22-14-0; passed House 65-39-20; signed by Governor, June 27, 2011.
Source: South Carolina legislature voting records: S 20
, Jun 27, 2011
Co-sponsored toughest standard of immigration enforcement
We are a nation of immigrants but we are also a nation of laws. It is vitally important that the United States maintains its sovereignty through the process of legal immigration. Nikki has twice co-sponsored legislation that represents the toughest
standard of immigration enforcement on the books nation-wide. In 2007, H4400 provided for such programs as E-verify and expanded the ability for state and local law enforcement to question, detain, and transport suspected illegal aliens and traffickers.
Source: 2010 Gubernatorial campaign website, nikkihaley.com "Issues"
, Nov 2, 2010
Page last updated: Mar 13, 2021