During the ABC Continuity Forum 2012 on Tuesday, former Florida governor Jeb Bush spoke candidly of his wife, family and his love for how multicultural Miami can be. With a family that is part Latino, the issue of immigration is a topic Bush seemed eager to talk about.
A Republican like his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and his brother, former President George W. Bush, Gov. Bush presented a starkly different view on immigration than that of his fellow party members. "This is a country of immigrants," Bush said as he moved his speech from social mobility to the issue of immigration.
While blaming Democrats for failing to come up with a viable immigration reform plan during President Obama's first term, Bush also accused his party of taking a "macho" stance in immigration. The potential presidential candidate for the 2016 election said that his party does have a demographic problem that it should address prior to the next election. Ultimately, the former governor said that both political parties need to embrace comprehensive immigration reform.
According to Bush, immigrants could become part a sustained economic strategy for the United States. He told audience members that he believes that anyone who embraces life in the U.S., including paying taxes and getting an education, should be able to become a citizen.
High on his list of reforms is ICE, or the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is the investigative arm of Homeland Security. Bush said that it is harder for a U.S. permanent resident to enter the country than it is for an undocumented immigrant. Bush also proposed a reinstitution of a guest worker program, which would encourage skilled workers and professionals to come into the U.S. to work.
Bush said that he believes that comprehensive immigration reform should include a path to citizenship for immigrants who have worked to integrate themselves into American society. Bush criticized President Obama's Deferred Action plan, which grants young undocumented immigrants a two-year work permit if they meet certain restrictions, saying that the two-year program just will not work.
The former governor and now education advocate, also said that sending undocumented immigrants back to their countries, specifically ones that came to the U.S. as children, does not work. Bush added that immigrants should not have to wait 10 years to become residents and that there should be a path to residency for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
