Gary Johnson presidential campaign, 2016/Immigration
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The overview of the issue below was current as of the 2016 election.
Immigration was among the most complex and most debated issues of the 2016 presidential election. Sixty percent of registered voters reported that immigration was an important factor in how they voted in November and 20 percent of voters said they would only vote for a candidate who shared their views on immigration.[2]
See below what Gary Johnson and the 2016 Libertarian Platform said about immigration.
| CANDIDATE SUMMARY | |
Johnson on immigration
- Johnson objected to the use of the term “illegal immigrant” in an interview with Townhall on September 1, 2016. He said, “If you use the term illegal immigrants, that is very incendiary to our Hispanic population here in this country.” When the host, Guy Benson, asked why, Johnson responded, “It just is. Just so that you know. Just so that you know and you don't have to use that term. … They came into this country because they couldn't get in legally and the jobs existed and you or I would have done the same thing. And what we're talking about now, coming from New Mexico, a population with 48 percent Hispanic, how's the crack-down on 11 million undocumented workers going to work out? It's going to be dragging people from their homes, that's how it's going to work out.”[3]
- On August 29, 2016, Johnson published an op-ed about immigration reform on CNN’s website. He said, “[Americans] know that the only realistic and … humane policy is to find a fair and safe way to allow non-criminal, undocumented immigrants to get right with the law and go about their lives, paying taxes, having a valid Social Security number, and earning a legal status. No cutting the line. No "special" path to citizenship. Just a common sense way for undocumented immigrants with jobs, families, and a clean record to come forward and live by the same rules as the rest of us.” Johnson also criticized Donald Trump’s immigration proposals, saying “Rounding up more than 11 million people -- a population larger than all but the 7 largest states in the union -- is a ludicrous notion to begin with. Everyone knows it, including Donald Trump. It was a lie cloaked in a promise.”[4]
- In an interview with NPR prior to winning his party’s nomination on May 29, 2016, Gary Johnson criticized the immigration policies of both Donald Trump and the Obama administration. He said, “Well, what I have identified is that 30 percent of Republican voters believe the scourge of the earth is Mexican immigration. So [Trump] has tapped into this anger, which – you know, it's human nature. We all want to somehow justify why things aren't going right. And I think that Mexican immigration – legal, illegal – has taken that on. There's a real misunderstanding about illegal immigration. I mean, President Obama has broken up 3 million families by deporting and breaking up families here in the United States. So it isn't just Democrats and Republicans. But as a border state governor, I have to tell you this is a bad thing.”[5]
- During an interview with The Texas Tribune on April 12, 2016, Johnson discussed immigration and other topics. Johnson said, “I think we should make it as easy as possible for somebody who wants to come into this country and work to get a work visa. I’m not talking about a green card. The solution is to create a moving line. Don’t put the government in charge of quotas. There will either be jobs or there won’t be jobs. And a work visa should include a background check and a Social Security card so that taxes get paid.” Johnson also said that “there should be a pathway to citizenship, and there should be an embrace of immigration as something really good. They’re not taking jobs that U.S. citizens want.”[6]
- During Part 2 of a Libertarian candidate forum that aired on the Fox Business Network on April 8, 2016, host John Stossel asked Gary Johnson what he would do about illegal immigration. Johnson replied, “I would make it as easy as possible for those illegal immigrants to get a work visa as long as they haven’t committed any crimes.”[7]
- On January 19, 2016, in an interview with The Telegraph, Johnson discussed his views on illegal immigration. He said, “If you go back 50 years, if you go back 40 years, the US was a different country and it wasn’t really considered illegal immigration. Citizens from Mexico came across the border, settling in New Mexico and other states to make better lives for themselves. And now their children have had children have had children. And you’re going to have millions of Americans in the category of having been here for a long time. They now have families and you’re going to deport them back over the border? For the most part, these are hardworking individuals trying to make better lives for themselves. They’re here for one reason and that’s to work. The handful who do come here for welfare benefits is far outweighed by the number who never lay claim to those benefits. The great untold story is that a false Social Security Number is given to an employer so that the illegal Mexican can work. Well, those are taxes that are withheld (by the employer) and never laid claim to (by the worker). Illegal immigration from a dollars and cents standpoint is positive for the US.”[8]
- In August 2015, Gary Johnson sent an e-mail to Our America Initiative supporters criticizing the use of the term "anchor babies" in discussions of immigration policy. He said, "Of course, the term 'Anchor Baby' is offensive. How could it not be? I live in New Mexico — and was Governor for eight years. Trust me. It’s offensive. Even more offensive is the absurdity of people named Bush, Trump and Clinton trying to decide what’s offensive to immigrants." He added, "For the record, in my opinion, if a young woman is enterprising enough to sneak across the border for the purpose of having a child who will then be eligible for citizenship in the U.S. — and who can, 21 years later when he or she has reached adulthood, perhaps sponsor family members for legal status, that might be a family who will make pretty good Americans."[9]
- Johnson said in 2012 that he supported comprehensive immigration reform, including "a grace period" for undocumented immigrants. "I wouldn't call it amnesty I would call it a grace period. I think one of the real misconceptions about amnesty is that its citizenship. I am advocating comprehensive immigration reform. I think we should make it as easy as possible to get a work visa. Would immigrants stand in line to get a work visa if the line was moving? I think that they would," he said in an interview with iSideWith. When asked if this policy should be developed by the states or the federal government, he responded, "In this case the work visa does fall under the Constitution and that would be a federal rule. It would be complicated if you had a work visa in New Mexico and Colorado would not honor it."[10]
- In a June 2011 interview with Rolling Stone, Johnson advocated for increasing the number of work visas granted to foreign students educated at American universities. He said, "Because of our convoluted immigration policies we’re educating the best and brightest kids from all over the world and we’re sending them back to their countries of origin. Instead of them staying here to start up businesses that will employ tens of millions of Americans they go home and employ tens of millions of Indians. We’re doing that to ourselves. We should make it as easy as possible to be able to get a legal work visa – not citizenship, not a green card. Just a work visa, with a background check and a social security card so that applicable taxes would get paid."[11]
- Johnson also said that the legalization of marijuana would reduce border violence with Mexico by 75 percent. "We’ve had 28,000 deaths south of the border over the last four years. If we can’t connect the dots between prohibition and violence, I don’t know if we ever will," he said.[11]
- In May 2011, Johnson opposed the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Speaking at a Tea Party rally, he said, "The notion of building a fence across 2000 miles of border, the notion of putting the National Guard arm in arm across 2,000 miles of border, in my opinion would be a whole lot of money spent with very little, if any, benefit whatsoever.” Johnson spoke with The Huffington Post after, adding, "I gotta tell you, [a wall's] not going to work. It’s as simple as an 11-foot ladder to get across a 10-foot fence."[12]
DACA/ DAPA
- When asked about President Obama's Immigration Accountability Executive Actions during the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) conference on June 23, 2016, Gary Johnson said, “I happen to agree with Obama. ... I think that what Obama has done is what needs to happen, although I would not want to be deporting and breaking up families like has happened. But the executive orders that he has implemented — I agree with. They’re all OK.”[13]
| The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform on immigration | ||||||
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Recent news
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Reason.com, "Gary Johnson To Announce He's Running for President Today," January 6, 2016
- ↑ Gallup, "One in Five Voters Say Immigration Stance Critical to Vote," September 9, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Gary Johnson has serious problems with term 'illegal immigrant'," September 1, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Gary Johnson: Build a better immigration system, not a wall," August 29, 2016
- ↑ NPR, "Gary Johnson Says Libertarians Offer An Alternative," May 29, 2016
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Libertarian Eyes a Third-Party Presidential Chance," April 12, 2016
- ↑ YouTube, "Full Video: Fox Business Libertarian Presidential Debate PART 2 (04-08-16)," April 8, 2016
- ↑ The Telegraph, "Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson says time is right for 'the party of principle' in the White House," January 19, 2016
- ↑ Independent Political Report, "Gary Johnson: Of course the term 'anchor baby' is offensive!" August 25, 2015
- ↑ iSideWith, "Interview with Gary Johnson," accessed January 9, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Rolling Stone, "Meet Gary Johnson, the GOP's Invisible Candidate," June 15, 2011
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Gary Johnson: 'We Got Osama Bin Laden, Let's Get Out Of Afghanistan,'" May 5, 2011
- ↑ The Washington Times, "Gary Johnson: Obama correct on executive action, but many families still getting broken up," accessed June 23, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Libertarian Party, "The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform," accessed August 23, 2016
