State of Alabama Archives: on Immigration

Arnold Mooney: Build a border wall with Mexico

Brandaun Dean: As mayor, declared Brighton, Alabama a sanctuary city

• managing a $2.3 million city budget
• providing supervision of five appointed officers
• proposing and passed municipal legislation decriminalizing the recreational use of marijuana
• declaring Brighton a sanctuary city for immigrant families
• increasing city workers pay to $15 per hour.

Doug Jones: Dreamers should be allowed to stay

Doug Jones: Opposes funding a border wall; supports comprehensive reform

JONES: I have said before that I opposed the building of a wall. I think that's an expense that the taxpayers just don't have to incur because I do think you can increase border security without having to go to the incredible expense of building that wall, at least the figures that I've seen. I do support the DACA program and would love to see that extended. I hope there can be some bipartisan efforts reached to do that. Immigration has been one of the toughest political footballs going on up there right now and we've had bills in the past that just fell by the wayside because of politics. If there's comprehensive immigration, I think it's going to be very complicated. But it's something that I would love to look at.

Doug Jones: Options for work permits & earned path to citizenship

Jones: Yes. Will support legislative action to ensure its continuation.

Moore: No. Considers DACA an illegal governmental order, and believes the program should be ended.

Immigration: Should America's 11 million undocumented residents have options for long-term work permits or an earned path to citizenship?

Jones: Yes. Supports both options.

Moore: No. Opposes both options.

Gary Palmer: Secure our borders and enforce current immigration law

Jeff Sessions: FactCheck: Immigration bill requires 700 mile border fence

The border fence is one of five so-called "triggers" that must be in place before most immigrants who get provisional status under the law are eligible for permanent residency. The bill requires a "Southern Border Fencing Strategy" to be submitted to Congress--and implemented--with certification from the Homeland Security secretary "that there is in place along the Southern Border no fewer than 700 miles of pedestrian fencing."

But Sessions' press secretary told us that there's "an opt-out provision" that allows the secretary to avoid fence-building. [But our attorneys said] the "opt-out" provision just offers the administration considerable choice about where to put fencing--not whether to build it. We rate Sessions' claim False.

Jeff Sessions: Opposes amnesty first; finish fencing and enforcement first

SESSIONS: We need to do the right thing for America and appeal to all people, particularly Hispanics.

Q: But why are you so much against this [comprehensive immigration reform] amendment?

SESSIONS: I'm opposed to the bill because it doesn't do what it says. This bill grants amnesty first, and a mere promise of enforcement in the future. Promises of 20,000 agents won't take place, or are not required until 2021. No money is being appropriated for that. The fencing--we passed a law to have 700 miles of double-layered fencing--this bill has a specific provision that Secretary Napolitano does not have to build any fence if she chooses not to, & she's publicly said we've had enough fencing. Why would any member of Congress want to vote for a bill at a time of high unemployment, falling wages, to bring in a huge surge of new labor that can only hurt the poorest among us the most

Jeff Sessions: Unwaveringly defend US workers and taxpayers

A: On policies like immigration, Sen. Sessions has worked tirelessly to defend US workers and taxpayers from big money special interests. He is unwaveringly committed to the hard working men and women who form the backbone of the nation, and to the heritage of constitutional government that makes America history's most exceptional nation.

Jessica Taylor: I will put my full force of will into building Trump's wall

John Merrill: Build the wall, stop "illegals" who want to cheat the system

John Merrill: Stop hemorrhaging of illegal border crossings

John Merrill: We need to build wall and stop illegals who cheat the system

Kay Ivey: Vast sums pay for teaching children of illegal immigrants

According to a 2005 report by FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, Alabama spends $34 million on education for illegal immigrants every year, plus another $48 million on the children of U.S.-born children of illegal aliens. But even this $82 million price tag isn't the total cost. The FAIR report doesn't include the additional costs of reduced or free meals for any of these students, nor does it include the cost of dual language programs, which can cost anywhere from $290 to $879 per pupil.

Luther Strange: Build border wall; defund sanctuary cities

Luther Strange: Supports Muslim ban

Lynda Blanchard: Trump not to blame for border crisis; build the wall!

Marcus Bowman: There is no room for anyone breaking rules

A: Strongly oppose. I support creating pathways to citizenship. I support legal immigration. There are immigrants that wait 7 years or more to become a citizen following proper procedures. There is no room for anyone breaking rules. We must have rule of law in the country. And if we need more workers for farms and various jobs then we need to create a program to ensure businesses can continue to grow and meet business demand. Illegal aliens need to return to their country and apply under a program.

Mike Durant: Build the wall, no pathway to citizenship for "illegals"

Mo Brooks: Don't flood labor market with cheap foreign labor

Brooks: I sure hope not, because the socialists support open borders and have no intent to compromise on border security. Any compromise with them would be a sellout. We had a compromise with the socialist Democrats in 1986. President Reagan gave amnesty and the socialists then broke their word and never gave the promised border security.

Q: In the last election, the Alabama Farmers Federation did not endorse you. Have you patched things up with them?

Brooks: My positions are unchanged. I don't support flooding the American labor market with cheap foreign labor hurting struggling American families nor am I comfortable with the tens of billions of dollars in food stamps and farm subsidies that farm bureau insists I support at a time America suffers from a debt burden that risks a debilitating national insolvency and bankruptcy that would do great damage to American lives.

Richard Shelby: I oppose any and all proposals to grant amnesty

Richard Shelby: Our nation's immigration system is broken. We have a President who has completely disregarded the rule of law and made our immigration crisis even worse. By contrast, I have consistently advocated for stronger illegal immigration laws and enforcement of the laws currently on the books. In particular, I oppose any and all proposals to grant amnesty to the more than 10 million people illegally present in the United States today. While the United States is a nation founded by immigrants, and I fully support a fair and reasonable means of allowing individuals to immigrate to America legally, it is simply wrong to reward people who break U.S. immigration laws while so many others wait their turn to come to America legally.

Robert Bentley: Will fight illegal immigration in Alabama

Ron Crumpton: Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens

A: Strongly supports.

Ron Crumpton: In reality, immigrants are good for America

Ron Crumpton: Ignore the rhetoric; immigrants are good for America

Roy Moore: DACA is an illegal governmental order

Jones: Yes. Will support legislative action to ensure its continuation.

Moore: No. Considers DACA an illegal governmental order, and believes the program should be ended.

Immigration: Should America's 11 million undocumented residents have options for long-term work permits or an earned path to citizenship?

Jones: Yes. Supports both options.

Moore: No. Opposes both options.

Roy Moore: Open borders a threat to national security

Steve Carlson: ICE should not be abolished; work with Mexico

Tim James: Building the wall remains more important than ever

Tommy Battle: Opposed to becoming sanctuary city; falls outside the law

Tommy Tuberville: Get a wall up or some kind of fencing

Tommy Tuberville: Need to fight the scourge of illegal immigration

Tommy Tuberville: Don't provide for those whose simple presence breaks the law

Tommy Tuberville: "Our tax dollars should not be used to provide for those who break our laws with their simple presence." Would give more resources to detention centers and border patrols to fight "illegal immigration that brings drugs, terrorists, and criminals into our country on a daily basis."

Doug Jones: "Children and young adults in the DACA program are contributing members of our society, serving in the military and owning businesses that employ Americans."

Walt Maddox: Find a compassionate pathway to citizenship

Will Boyd: Pathway to citizenship; undocumented shouldn't have to leave

Nikki Haley: End incentives like temporary protected status

Nikki Haley: What I said is all of the 7 or 8 million illegals that have come under Biden's watch absolutely have to go back. We have to stop the incentive of what's bringing them over here in the first place. Biden just gave temporary protective status to 500,000 Venezuelans. That's a half a million social security cards; half a million driver's licenses. And I know from my time at the U.N., the first thing they do is pick up the phone and say, "We came over, come on over." You have to go and deport these people, so they know it can't happen again. For those that have been here longer than that, we've got to start seeing, who is it? How long have they been here? Have they been vetted? Have they paid taxes? Have they been working? And figure out who else is out there.

Nikki Haley: Restrict terrorist immigration, not Muslim immigration

(Trump on video): No longer will we allow dangerous lunatics, haters, bigots, and maniacs to get residency in our country. We're not going to let them stay here. If you empathize with radical Islamic, terrorists and extremists, you're disqualified.

Q: Do you support President Trump's plan for ideological screening?

Nikki Haley: Well, I don't think that you have a straight-up Muslim ban, as much as you look at the countries that have terrorist activity that want to hurt Americans. You can ban those people from those countries, that's the way we should look at it is which countries are a threat to us. What worries me the most are those that came from Iran, from Yemen, from Lebanon, those areas where they say "Death to America." That's where you want to be careful. It's not about a religion, it's about a fact that certain countries are dangerous and are threats to us.

Ron DeSantis: Europe committing suicide with mass migration

Nikk Haley: I don't think that you have a straight-up Muslim ban, you look at the countries that have terrorist activity that want to hurt Americans.

Ron DeSantis: It's not just terrorism--look what's happened in Europe. You have more anti-Semitism in Germany than at any time since Adolf Hitler. Why? Because they imported mass numbers of people who reject their culture. Europe is committing suicide with the mass migration and it's illegal and legal. Nikki Haley said the other day there should be no limits on legal immigration. There needs to be limits on immigration and we should not be importing people from cultures that are hostile. So for example, [some suggested] importing 300,000 people from the Gaza Strip. I said, "No, we're not taking anyone from Gaza because of the anti-Semitism and because they reject American culture, so we've got to get smart about this. We cannot let the United States be like Europe."

Vivek Ramaswamy: Enlist local police to assist ICE against illegals

Nikki Haley: I actually did that as governor of South Carolina.

ACLU analysis 6/2/22: The program taps state and local law enforcement agencies to identify people for arrest and deportation. From its earliest days, the 287(g) program has been a vehicle for racist, anti-immigrant politicians, rather than the bona fide public safety measure its proponents have claimed.

Vivek Ramaswamy: Real enemy is Deep State via the Great Replacement Theory

Why am I the only person on the stage at least who can say that January 6th now does look like it was an inside job, that the government lied to us for 20 years about Saudi Arabia's involvement in 9/11, that the Great Replacement Theory is not some grand right-wing conspiracy theory, but a basic statement of the Democratic Party's platform, that the 2020 election was indeed stolen by big tech, that the 2016 election, the one that Trump won for sure, was also one that was stolen from him by the National Security Establishment that actually put out the Trump Russia collusion hoax that they knew was false?

There's a reason why I'm the only person on this stage who can say these things. That's what it's going to take.

Vivek Ramaswamy: OpEd: Great Replacement is new version of old conspiracy

ACLU Analysis 6/21/22: The Great Replacement conspiracy is a relatively new version of a conspiracy that has roots going back to the founding of America. In a nutshell, this conspiracy states that immigration policies, particularly those impacting non-white, non-European immigrants, are designed to increase the non-white, non-European population in an effort to undermine (or replace) the political and cultural power of America’s white majority. Unfortunately, xenophobic political parties are nothing new in the United States. The rhetoric commonly used by Great Replacement supporters centers on defending America from an "invasion" of immigrants looking to "take over." 

Kay Ivey: Finish the wall and eliminate federal benefits for illegals

Donald Trump: Don't give maniacs residency in our country

Donald Trump: No longer will we allow dangerous lunatics, haters, bigots, and maniacs to get residency in our country. We're not going to let them stay here. If you empathize with radical Islamic, terrorists and extremists, you're disqualified. You're just disqualified.

Steve Marshall: Secure our borders; deport criminal aliens