Instructions

Click on individual ratings to view quotes and other source materials for that rating.

Mandate E-Verify-plus

• In April 2015, Gov. Bush said he supports an “e-verify system that is verifiable” and spoke about implementing it as part of a larger immigration package. Source: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/04/17/jeb-bush-legal-status-for-illegals-rational-thoughtful/
• In August 2015, Gov. Bush released his plan for immigration including proposals that would require employers to use the E-Verify program. "We need a strong E-Verify system to ensure that American businesses are not hiring illegal immigrants. E-Verify is an Internet-based system that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. Employers should not be penalized if they use E-Verify in good faith and receive an incorrect eligibility confirmation. Identity theft protections are also necessary. Finally, with an improved E-Verify, the government must enforce penalties for violations." Source: https://jeb2016.com/securing-border-enforcing-immigration-laws/?lang=en

Prevent illegal border entries & surges

• In August 2015, Gov. Bush released his plan for immigration including proposals to help secure our borders. He is just short of Excellent in this catagory because his plan does not address the tools needed to stop future border surges."In some cases, it takes Border Patrol agents over an hour to get to the remote and rugged areas they need to patrol. Creating more forward-operating bases maximizes agents’ time on the border by stationing them there (much like a fire station) for multiple days at a time...Our border security posture must be as nimble as the cartels’ ability to shift operations to a different area...Technology, such as drones, advanced sensors, and radar, can give our agents a fuller picture of the illegal activity that in turn will enable the country to better allocate resources on the border. More than that, technology can make securing the border safer for our agents who will not have to respond to false alarms...Road construction and maintenance can provide agents access to areas of the border that would otherwise go unpatrolled. New roads are needed on the border to secure access to remote and rugged terrain to interdict smugglers, and respond to the detection of illicit traffic by technology. Likewise, new boat ramps can provide Border Patrol riverine units more points to put their vessels in the water so they can patrol more effectively... Access to federal lands is another key part of improving access to border areas. Currently, agents have to navigate byzantine environmental rules and regulations to access federal lands, which make up a large portion of the southwest border. Removing these restrictions would help untie the hands of our agents to patrol every inch of the border." Source: https://jeb2016.com/securing-border-enforcing-immigration-laws/?lang=en

Implement Interior Enforcement

• Gov. Bush supports efforts to give drivers licenses and in-state tuition to illegal aliens.  In addition, Gov. Bush signed the first 287(g) agreement with the government, but later stated that immigration is strictly a federal issue. Source: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/198550/jeb-bush-was-local-enforcement-he-was-against-it-mark-krikorian
• In August 2015, Gov. Bush released his plan for immigration renewing his claims that immigration is a federal issue.“We should withhold federal law enforcement funds for cities that undermine federal immigration laws and make sure we detain and deport illegal immigrants who are serious criminals. We should also expand federal partnerships that train state and local police to help enforce immigration laws, particularly in jails and prisons. When I was Governor of Florida, the state was a trailblazer in working with the federal government to enforce immigration laws. In 2002, Florida signed the first agreement with the federal government under the Section 287(g) program, which trains state and local police to help enforce immigration laws.” Source: https://jeb2016.com/securing-border-enforcing-immigration-laws/?lang=en
• In Gov. Bush’s immigration plan, he advocates for ending sanctuary cities, deporting new illegal immigrants and training local police to help ICE enforce immigration laws. Bush wrote, “We should withhold federal law enforcement funds for cities that undermine federal immigration laws and make sure we detain and deport illegal immigrants who are serious criminals. We should also expand federal partnerships that train state and local police to help enforce immigration laws, particularly in jails and prisons.” Source: https://jeb2016.com/securing-border-enforcing-immigration-laws/?lang=en
• After a seven-times convicted, five-times deported illegal alien killed a woman in San Francisco, Gov. Bush called for an end to sanctuary cities in July 2015. "We ought to eliminate sanctuary cities. Talking about things the federal government can do, we shouldn't provide law enforcement monies for cities like San Francisco until they change their policies." Source: http://jacksonville.com/breaking-news/2015-07-09/story/jeb-bush-end-sanctuary-cities-immigrants-us-illegally

Finish entry-exit system to track visa overstays

• In an Oct. 2015 interview with Newsmax TV, Gov. Bush said, ”Forty percent of the people that come here legally come with a legal visa and just stay. I mean, other countries sort this out. They have biometric technologies for exit and entrance, they know where people are, they round them up and they send them home." Source: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/jeb-bush-illegals-pay-fines/2015/10/28/id/699462/
• In August 2015, Gov. Bush released his plan for immigration including proposals to create a system to track and decrease the number of immigrants who overstay their visas. "A biometric exit system must be rapidly implemented so that immigration and national security officials know with certainty who is, and is not, in this country. We also need to increase federal resources dedicated to overstay enforcement. In FY 2012, the federal agency that investigates overstay cases, among other activities, spent less than 2 percent of their time on these cases.Furthermore, we need to create intergovernmental task forces to locate and apprehend overstays, especially those who present public safety risks. With proper training and supervision, state and local police could augment federal agents because they know their communities and have more boots on the ground." Source: https://jeb2016.com/securing-border-enforcing-immigration-laws/?lang=en

End automatic birthright citizenship

• In an August 2015 radio interview, Gov. Bush said he supports ending birth tourism but not birthright citizenship. He stated, “If there’s abuse, if people are bringing — pregnant women are coming in to have babies simply because they can do it, then there ought to be greater enforcement,” Bush said on Bill Bennett’s conservative radio show. “That’s [the] legitimate side of this. Better enforcement so that you don’t have these, you know, ‘anchor babies’, as they’re described, coming into the country.”
  Source: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/jeb-bush-anchor-babies-not-offensive-121565#ixzz3lGuTOIiL
• In an interview with CBS News on August 18, 2015, Gov. Bush responded to Trump's immigration plan and pushed back on the birthright citizenship issue, saying “That’s a constitutional right and Mr. Trump can say that he’s for this because people are frustrated that it’s abused. We ought to fix the problem rather than take away rights that are constitutionally endowed.” Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trumps-gop-rivals-blast-immigration-plan/story?id=33162309

Oppose work permits for illegal immigrants

• In Gov. Bush’s immigration plan, he makes it clear that a work permit is part of the “punishment” for illegal aliens who receive amnesty. Bush wrote, “I believe that for those already in the country, we need to put in place a rigorous path that requires individuals to pass a thorough criminal background check, pay fines, pay taxes, learn English, obtain a provisional work permit and work, not receive federal government assistance, and over an extended period of time earn legal status. But any plan to address the status of illegal immigrants must be accompanied by a robust strategy to improve border security.” Source: https://jeb2016.com/securing-border-enforcing-immigration-laws/?lang=en
• During the Nov. 2015 Republican debate, Gov. Bush responded to Trump’s deportation plan. “What we need to do is allow people to earn legal status where they pay a fine, where they work, where they don’t commit crimes, where they learn English, and over an extended period of time, they earn legal status. That’s the path — a proper path” Source: http://time.com/4107636/transcript-read-the-full-text-of-the-fourth-republican-debate-in-milwaukee/
• In his September 2015 speech at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce conference in Houston, Gov. Bush stood by his amnesty pledge for illegal aliens. He said, "I've been consistently for the Dream Act kids to get a path to citizenship," Bush continued. "I've been consistently for it, and I'll continue to be consistently for it irrespective of what the political ramifications of that are." Under his plan,Bush said illegal immigrants could apply for legal status after a certain period of time as long as they pay taxes and pay a fine, learn English and hold a job. “That is the dignified American way, the practical way of solving the problem of 12 million immigrants,” he said. “If we did that we could turn immigration into what it has always been - a sustained economic drivers for our country." Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jeb-bush-immigration-dreamers_56005c84e4b0fde8b0cf49bc
• In September 2015, Gov. Bush addressed the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce repeating his support to give illegal alien children a pathway to citizenship. "And I'll continue to be consistently for it, irrespective of what the political ramifications of that are," he said. "That is the dignified, American way," he said. "The practical way of solving the problem of 12 million immigrants." Source: http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/21/politics/jeb-bush-immigration-election/
• In a Spanish language interview with Telemundo in July 2015, Gov. Bush upheld his stance on a pathway to citizenship for the illegal immigrants already living in the US. "For the 11 million people (undocumented immigrants in the U.S.), they must come out of the shadows, receive a work visa, start paying taxes and also pay a small fine, learn English, don't receive government benefits, but they come out of the shadows and they receive legal status after some time." Source: http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/07/jeb_bush_pledges_support_for_l.html
• After announcing his candidacy for the presidency in June 2015, Gov. Bush maintained his position on work permits for illegal aliens. "I don't think 11 million people living in shadows is appropriate in this great country." He added, "I believe what I believe, and I believe in comprehensive immigration reform because I know that it will help us create high, sustained economic growth where more people succeed." Sources: http://www.nationaljournal.com/2016-elections/jeb-bush-pushes-immigration-reform-in-iowa-i-want-to-win-20150617 and http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2015/06/17/jeb-bush-iowa-caucuses-immigration-common-core/28899809/
• During a May 2015 appearance on CBS' Face the Nation, Gov. Bush called Pres. Obama's executive actions "unconstitutional", but described what he would do with the 11 million illegal aliens living in the United States. "I’m for a path for legalized status. People get provisional work permit, pay taxes, learn English, don’t commit crimes, don’t receive federal government assistance and earn legal status. They don’t earn citizenship. They don’t cut in line with people who have been patiently waiting on the outside. That seems to be a fair system. Those opposed to that don’t have plan to deal with the 11 million people that are here illegally." Sources: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-31/jeb-bush-avoides-saying-he-would-overturn-immigration-action and http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/06/01/jeb-bush-not-going-to-back-down-on-immigration-supports-path-for-legalized-status/
• In a May 2015 conference call with Alabama Republicans, Gov. Bush reiterated his support for amnesty, but also said he opposed Pres. Obama's executive actions on the issue. He said that he believes President Obama’s executive actions to change immigration laws will be eventually ruled unconstitutional by federal courts. He reiterated that he backs “a path to earned legal status, not citizenship, but earned legal status. Where people get a provisional work permit, where they pay taxes, they pay a fine, they learn English, they work, they don’t receive federal government assistance and they — over extended period of time — they earn legal status." Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/05/28/morning-plum-jeb-bush-rips-republicans-for-bending-with-the-wind-on-immigration/
• In 2014 and 2015, Gov. Bush came out against President Obama's executive amnesty programs that granted work permits to illegal aliens. "The way I look at this is someone who comes to our country because they couldn’t come legally, they come to our country because their families -- the dad who loved their children -- was worried that their children didn’t have food on the table. And they wanted to make sure their family was intact, and they crossed the border because they had no other means to work to be able to provide for their family. Yes, they broke the law, but it’s not a felony. It’s an act of love. It’s an act of commitment to your family. I honestly think that that is a different kind of crime that there should be a price paid, but it shouldn’t rile people up that people are actually coming to this country to provide for their families," and "The Congress ought to pass a bill that doesn't allow him to use that authority.... The simple fact is that the president has gone way beyond his constitutional powers to do this -- and the Congress has every right to reinstate their responsibility for what law is about." Sources: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/04/06/jeb-bush-many-illegal-immigrants-come-out-of-an-act-of-love/ and http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/Jeb-Bush-CPAC-DHS-funding/2015/02/27/id/627382/

Support overall reduction in annual immigration

• Gov. Bush has repeatedly called for an increase in immigration due to the United States' declining birthrate. In February 2015, he said, "Family formation rates in this country are at an all time low. Birth rates are below break-even. There are more single women than married women in this country for the first time in our history. Our demography could be huge strength for high sustained economic growth, or if we do nothing of it will end up becoming a significant problem." We do not believe Bush understands that throughout history, birth rates are traditionally rectangular, not the "demographic pyramid" he references. Source: http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/02/04/jeb-bush-we-must-dramatically-expand-immigrants-coming-to-work/
• During the Nov. 2015 Republican debate, Gov. Bush proposed helping the Syrian refugees by creating safe zones in the Middle East instead of bringing the refugees to the U.S.“We should have a no fly zone in Syria. We should have a support for the remnants of the Syrian Free Army, and create safe zones. If you want to deal with the four million refugees that are leaving Syria because of the devastation there, then we 'ought to create safe zones for them to stay in the region rather than go to Europe,” he said. Source: http://time.com/4107636/transcript-read-the-full-text-of-the-fourth-republican-debate-in-milwaukee/
• Gov. Bush's comment during the RedState Gathering in August 2015 promotes ending chain migration, which would reduce the net total of immigration numbers but it also suggests that this reduction could be offset by employment based green cards. “Legal immigration needs to be reformed as well. Most of our legal immigrants come through a quota system by country and by family petitioning. Most people don’t know this, but it was done in the 1960s and we have what’s called chain migration. We have the broadest definition of family in the world: spouse and minor children, like every country, right? And then adult siblings and adult parents. If we narrowed that to what every other country has, it would be half a million people less. Imagine having half a million people that you picked to come in,” he said. Source: http://immigrationreform.com/2015/08/11/did-i-hear-a-bush-talk-about-chain-migration/?utm_source=ET&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Top58142015
• At a fundraiser in August 2015, Gov. Bush pushed for ending chain migration but suggested that they could replace the chain immigrants with employment-based green cards.  Mr. Bush said it allows relatives beyond the immediate family to migrate to the U.S. legally. He said that the unending influx crowds out “economically driven immigrants” — that is, people who come to the U.S. to find jobs and education that will allow them to better themselves. Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/2/jeb-bush-decries-chain-immigration-defends-fundrai/?page=2
• After announcing his candidacy for the presidency in June 2015, Gov. Bush called for comprehensive immigration reform, which typically means increasing current immigration levels. "I believe what I believe, and I believe in comprehensive immigration reform because I know that it will help us create high, sustained economic growth where more people succeed." Source: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2015/06/17/jeb-bush-iowa-caucuses-immigration-common-core/28899809/

End chain migration

• During the RedState Gathering in August 2015, Gov. Bush discussed the need to end chain migration. “Legal immigration needs to be reformed as well. Most of our legal immigrants come through a quota system by country and by family petitioning. Most people don’t know this, but it was done in the 1960s and we have what’s called chain migration. We have the broadest definition of family in the world: spouse and minor children, like every country, right? And then adult siblings and adult parents. If we narrowed that to what every other country has, it would be half a million people less. Imagine having half a million people that you picked to come in,” he said. Source: http://immigrationreform.com/2015/08/11/did-i-hear-a-bush-talk-about-chain-migration/?utm_source=ET&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Top58142015
• Gov. Bush is supportive of ending chain migration for non-nuclear family members.  At the 2015 CPAC conference, Bush said, "We need a narrow family petitioning so it's the same for every country -- spouse and minor children. Not this broad definition of spouse, minor children, adult siblings, and parents that crowds out what we need, which are economic driven immigrants."  Source: http://www.c-span.org/video/?324558-16/former-governor-jeb-bush-rfl-remarks-cpac-2015
• During a May 2015 appearance on CBS' Face the Nation, Gov. Bush maintained his position to end chain migration. "It’s a system that’s broken. The legal system is broken. We need to narrow family petitioning expand economic immigrants." Source: http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/06/01/jeb-bush-not-going-to-back-down-on-immigration-supports-path-for-legalized-status/

Protect against unfair work-visa competition

• Gov. Bush is supportive of increasing immigration to spur economic growth. In January 2015, he said, "We have three to five million jobs unfilled that require skills in America today. Think of, had we fixed our immigration system in the way that I would propose, how much extra job growth and investment would have happened in our country that would have provided opportunities for higher wages for people struggling near or at the bottom, or people that are squeezed in the middle." Bush also said that increasing the number of low skilled workers would not reduce wages for low-skilled American workers: "That's the false argument." Source: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/jeb-bush-on-immigration-i-think-im-right-about-this/article/2563866?utm_campaign=Conservative%20Inbox:%20Top%205&utm_source=Conservative%20Inbox:%20Top%205%20-%2005/01/15&utm_medium=email
• In May 2015, Gov. Bush called for awarding work permits to foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges or universities. "They are training people from overseas, and the preponderance of people are being forced to leave because we have a broken immigration system," Bush said. "We're training competitors. They'll go back to their native countries, and the next generation of innovation could take place in that country rather than be sustained here." He argued that welcoming immigrants would not take jobs from Americans. "If you allow the intellectual talent to stay in this country, it's not taking away from the intellectual talent that's here already," he said. "It's going to enhance it and create more opportunities." Source: http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/jeb-bush-michigan-education-immigration/2015/05/28/id/647373/
• During a May 2015 appearance on CBS' Face the Nation, Gov. Bush called for more foreign workers. "It’s a system that’s broken. The legal system is broken. We need to narrow family petitioning expand economic immigrants." Source: http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/06/01/jeb-bush-not-going-to-back-down-on-immigration-supports-path-for-legalized-status/

End visa lottery

• Gov. Bush has stated on numerous occasions that he wants to get rid of the visa lottery.  However, Bush does not want to eliminate the lottery to reduce immigration, but because the lottery is unwinnable and encourages illegal immigration: "Most Americans probably don't realize that the traditional avenue of immigration is all but foreclosed by our current system. While past immigrants 'waited their turn in line,' there is no line in which most of those aspiring to become Americans can wait with any realistic hope of gaining admission." Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/DC-Decoder/2013/0306/Jeb-Bush-s-book-more-than-just-a-flip-flop-on-illegal-immigration-video