John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016/Immigration

	; ; Former presidential candidate; John Kasich
	Political offices: ; Governor of Ohio; (2011-2019); U.S. House, Ohio, District 12; (1983-2001); Ohio State Senate; (1979-1983)
	Kasich on the issues:
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	Republican candidate:
	Donald Trump
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This page was current as of the 2016 election.

At the eighth Republican presidential primary debate on February 6, 2016, John Kasich discussed immigration: "Look, the situation is, we need to finish the border. It has to be completed. Just like we lock our doors at night, the country has to be able to lock its doors. And we can have a guest worker program, where people can come in and out in an orderly way. And then for the 11.5 million that are here, if they have not committed a crime since they've been here, I believe they ought to pay some back taxes, pay a fine, never get on the path to citizenship, but get legalization. It is not -- I couldn't even imagine how we would even begin to think about taking a mom or a dad out of a house when they have not committed a crime since they've been here, leaving their children in the house. I mean, that is not, in my opinion, the kind of values that we believe in. And secondly, I think at the end of the day, that Americans would support a plan like this. I think Congress would pass a plan to finish the border, guest worker, pay a fine, a path to legalization, and not citizenship. And we've got to get this done. And I will tell you this, within the first 100 days that I am president, I will put that proposal to the Congress."^[1]

Kasich discussed his position on immigration at a campaign event in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. He said, “For the 11 million that are here, in my view if they've been law abiding they should pay a penalty. They broke the law. They should not have a path to citizenship but a path to legalization and they should assimilate.”^[2]

In an exchange with Laura Ingraham on September 1, 2015, Kasich supported the Fourteenth Amendment and birthright citizenship. Kasich also said that people should “count their blessings here in the United States of America” rather than continually focusing on all of the problems, in response to Ingraham’s statement that people object to the Fourteenth Amendment because of the practices relating to “anchor” babies.^[3]^[4]

On August 16, 2015, Kasich described his immigration platform, saying, “In my opinion there is a solution to this issue of immigration. Finish the wall, and make it clear. Anyone that comes over that wall once we’ve done it, you’re going back. And to the 12 million that are here, you know, legalize them, but make sure we don’t have anybody with a criminal element here. And have a guest worker program here. I think the country can unite around that.”^[5]

Although Kasich declined to state a firm answer on whether he would support a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants, he rejected a pathway to citizenship in August 2015. “I would prefer for them to be legalized once we find out who they are because I think they contribute a lot to America. They’re hard workers. They’re god-fearing. They’re family oriented. If they committed a crime, they’ve got to be deported or put in prison. … I don’t favor citizenship because, as I teach my kids, you don’t jump the line to get into a Taylor Swift concert,” Kasich said.^[6]

Kasich refused to offer support for ending birthright citizenship during an interview on August 9, 2015. “I don’t think we need to go there,” he said.^[7]

CANDIDATE SUMMARY
Kasich’s position on DACA and DAPA was unclear.

In June 2015, a family from Ohio flew out to Iowa to ask John Kasich about his administration's decision to join the lawsuit against President Obama's Immigration Accountability Executive Actions. Kasich did not directly address whether he supports DACA and DAPA, but he said, "If they're law-abiding and they register, I think they [individuals living in the U.S. illegally] ought to be able to stay. They may have to pay a penalty. … You don't ditch the line … and if you do, you don't get rewarded for it."^[8]

Kasich's spokesman Rob Nichols said it was Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's decision to join the lawsuit against expanding DACA and creating DAPA. Nichols said, "The attorney general doesn't need our blessing to sue."^[8]

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