Gov. Scott Walker Backs Path To Citizenship

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is the latest Republican to back a path to citizenship:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) said Tuesday that he supports a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants but that federal immigration reform efforts miss a key element of the debate.

In an interview with the Wausau (Wis.) Daily Herald editorial board, Walker said the debate should focus on making it easier to immigrate rather than on what to do with immigrants already here illegally and border security.

“It’s all is about the 11 million [undocumented immigrants],” Walker said. “You hear some people talk about border security and a wall and all that. To me, I don’t know that you need any of that if you had a better, saner way to let people into the country in the first place.”

Walker added: “If people want to come here and work hard in this country, I don’t care if you come from Mexico or Canada or Ireland or Germany or South Africa or anywhere else. I want them here.”

Video:

Condemnation as a “RINO” from the GOP heirs to the Know Nothing Party in 3…………2……………1.

FILED UNDER: Africa, Borders and Immigration, US Politics, , , , , , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. al-Ameda says:

    “It’s all is about the 11 million [undocumented immigrants],” Walker said. “You hear some people talk about border security and a wall and all that. To me, I don’t know that you need any of that if you had a better, saner way to let people into the country in the first place.”

    Walker added: “If people want to come here and work hard in this country, I don’t care if you come from Mexico or Canada or Ireland or Germany or South Africa or anywhere else. I want them here.”

    Oh my, Walker is a RINO, when did that happen?

  2. Caj says:

    Scott Walker is a panderer just like the rest of the GOP. He knows that his party needs all the Latino votes they can muster. He must think that the voting Latino community are dumb as to not see what his game is. None of them really want immigration reform, it’s just a means to an end hoping it will help them get more votes come 2016. Voters aren’t stupid and know what is going on. Republicans can say all the right things but majority of the voting public know exactly what’s in their heart and how they really feel about Latino’s, gays & women.

  3. stonetools says:

    No one could have predicted…..

    Oh well, he keeps his options open for a Presidential bid in 2016. So it goes.

  4. PJ says:

    Is his 2016 slogan going to be “No one wants to vote for me, so vote for me”?

  5. wr says:

    @al-Ameda: “Walker added: “If people want to come here and work hard in this country, I don’t care if you come from Mexico or Canada or Ireland or Germany or South Africa or anywhere else. I want them here.””

    Unless they want to join a union. Or get paid fairly for their work. Or in any way get in the way of the Koch Brothers dismantling the state.

  6. Ron Beasley says:

    The Koch brothers want cheap labor!

  7. superdestroyer says:

    The cheap labor Republicans say jump and another governor just asks” how high.” How does it help the Republicans in Wisconsin who voted for Gov. Walker to have to pay higher taxes, private school tuition, and higher housing costs just so people like Sheldon Adelson or Bill Gates can have cheaper labor?

  8. This is going to be typical of the kind of pandering and balancing act the GOP is going to do. “I support a path to citizenship, but I CLEARLY cannot support BIll XYZ because it doesn’t do something.”

    So, people like Walker can get good press from credulous journalists without ever actually having to vote for something.

  9. Jen says:

    Walker also just signed legislation that further restricts abortion access. Is this the new GOP playbook–say yes to immigration reform, then a quick pander to the base on the abortion issue to counteract/mitigate any blow back? Rubio just did the same thing.