Instructions

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

Mandate E-Verify-plus

• In an August 2015 interview with ABC Gov. Scott Walker said he favors using E-Verify to hold business accountable. "Well, I said the law is there. And we need to enforce the laws, including those that are in the Constitution," Walker said, adding that he favors addressing illegal immigration by improving border security and requiring businesses to use a system called E-Verify to check workers' legal status. Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/23/politics/scott-walker-donald-trump-birthright-citizenship-2016/

• While Gov. Walker has not taken action to mandate E-Verify's use at the state level, in March 2015, he was vociferous about mandating its use at the national level: "I think the better approach is to enforce the laws and to give employers, job creators, the tools like E-Verify and other things, to make sure the law is being upheld going forward." We must see Walker talk about the time frame for a national rollout, if current employees will be run through the system, and if the Social Security Administration will be required to resume sending "no-match" letters for his grade to improve. Source: http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-news-sunday-chris-wallace/2015/03/01/gov-walker-cpac-record-wisconsin-rep-scalise-talks-dhs-funding-fight#p//v/4087171184001

Prevent illegal border entries & surges

• In a May 2015 interview with Breitbart.com, Gov. Walker further explained his position on border security and some of the steps he would take to secure the border.
• "This is a matter of national security. This is truly a matter national sovereignty, in that if we were having people penetrate our water-based ports throughout the Gulf [of Mexico] or either coast, we’d be taking swift action initially with the Coast Guard and eventually probably with the Navy. Yet, we have international criminal organizations seeking to penetrate our land-based borders to the south—the push for drugs, for firearms and increasingly for people from a trafficking standpoint—it’s just horrific we’re not taking more action to truly secure that border."
  
  "You look at what people are coming across the border, there are any number of reasons out there. People say ‘oh we can’t secure the border.’ I disagree. I was just in Israel where they have something like 500 miles of fencing up and when they did that it dramatically lowered the number of terrorist-related attacks and they saw like a 90 percent reduction [in illegal immigration]. They’re a much, much, much smaller country than we are and we’re talking about a southern border that’s larger than that—but really only about four times larger than their entire country. It just shows me though that with investments in infrastructure, personnel and technology, there’s no reason why we can’t secure that border. When I suggested this before, one of the more cynical reporters from another national outlet suggested to me ‘well, governor, the number of crossings is down, what level do you find acceptable?’ I said back to this reporter, ‘well, you stand in line at TSA at the airport, to see that your bags are scanned to make sure there’s no explosives on the airplane, what level of success do you find to be successful?’"
  
  "I just think it’s an important policy overall. I get why the political class is rumbling around out there but I’m just saying give priority to American working families and their wages and that we want to strengthen the American economy. Who can be against that? I’ve yet to find somebody who when talking about those terms that that’s not a logical thing and yet I’m surprised how many others are reluctant to share the same sentiment out there. For me, not only those like myself who were born here but even the people over the years who have come here legally, again my stance is our priority should be for those who are working families whether they were born here like me or have come here through the legal process—if you’re in America and here working the right way. It’s the number one priority when we talk about legal immigration. I think it’s a smart approach moving forward and I think it’s rational to look at in other ways and I think it’s one where Republicans have ignored talking about the impact on American workers and strengthening working families." Source: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/05/26/exclusive-walker-wed-be-sending-in-navy-to-stop-illegals-if-they-were-swarming-our-sea-ports-like-they-do-southern-border/
• In July and November 2014, Gov. Walker repeatedly talked about securing the border, saying "Right now we shouldn’t be doing anything on this subject until we’ve secured the borders; and that’s not just an immigration or domestic policy issue, that’s a national security issue. We put incredible amounts of money in at the federal level into securing our airports and our ports of entry on the waterways and yet we have a land border that we do very little – certainly not enough to protect not just against folks coming into the country without legal status, but more appropriately when you’ve got ISIS and other organizations around the world that desperately want to attack our way of life here, having a border that is not secured is a national security / homeland security issue," and has attacked the handling of the border surge: "If [border surge children] go with people without legal status, our concern is that these children will just suddenly be gone and we’re not going to see them and that’ll just encourage more kids to come." However, Walker has not been specific as to what is needed to secure the border. Sources: http://www.rightwisconsin.com/dailytakes/Walker-Talks-Immigration-on-Fox-News-OReilly-Factor-283210761.html and http://host.madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/scott-walker-s-mixed-messaging-on-immigration/article_395d1848-0b95-11e4-a760-0019bb2963f4.html

Implement Congress-mandated enforcement & disincentives

• Walker addressed interior enforcementin his August 2015 interview with Newsmax stating, “To stop illegal immigration in the United States, the next president must start "enforcing the laws at all levels in this country... If you start enforcing the law, the sanctuary-city issues we've heard about and others will take care of itself going forward." Source: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/scott-walker-immigration-laws-employment/2015/08/04/id/665420/

Finish entry-exit system to track visa overstays

• We have not been able to ascertain Gov. Walker's position on visa overstayers and implementing a biometric entry/exit system.

End automatic birthright citizenship

• In August 2015 when Walker was asked if birthright citizenship should be ended he responded, "Yeah, to me it’s about enforcing the laws in this country." Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-08-19/where-the-republican-presidential-candidates-stand-on-birthright-citizenship

• Later Walker walked back from that statement emphasizing the focus should be on securing the border before taking on this issue. He said, "We have to enforce the laws, keep people from coming here illegally, enforce e-verify to stop the jobs magnet, and by addressing the root problems we will end the birthright citizenship problem" Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trumps-gop-rivals-blast-immigration-plan/story?id=3316230

• In an August 2015 interview Walker changes his position again saying he does not support ending birthright citizenship. ABC's George Stephanopoulos asked Walker, "So you're not seeking to repeal or alter the 14th Amendment?" "No," Walker said. "My point is, any discussion that goes beyond securing the border and enforcing the laws are things that should be a red flag to voters out there, who for years have heard lip service from politicians and are understandably angry because those politicians haven't been committed to following through on those promises." Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/23/politics/scott-walker-donald-trump-birthright-citizenship-2016/

• After Donald Trump announced that he wanted to end Birthright Citizenship in August 2015, in a MSNBC interview, Gov. Walker said he agreed with that position. To a question asking if he supported ending Birthright Citizenship, Gov. Walker said "Yeah. To me it's about enforcing the laws in this country." Source: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/scott-walker-donald-trump-similar-immigration-policies-121445.html

Oppose work permits for illegal immigrants

• Gov. Walker has improved significantly in this area and admits his views have changed on the subject, now prioritizing border security and enforcement over any legalization. In March 2015, when asked by Fox News' Chris Wallace about his previous support for amnesty, Walker said: "And my view has changed. I'm flat out saying it." Source: http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-news-sunday-chris-wallace/2015/03/01/gov-walker-cpac-record-wisconsin-rep-scalise-talks-dhs-funding-fight#p//v/4087171184001
• In March 2015, Walker told Fox News' Chris wallace "I look at the problems we've experienced for the last few years. I've talked to governors on the border and others out there. I've talked to people all across America. And the concerns I have is that we need to secure the border. We ultimately need to put in place a system that works. A legal immigration system that works. And part of doing this is put the onus on employers, getting them E-Verify and tools to do that. But I don't think you do it through amnesty." Source: http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-news-sunday-chris-wallace/2015/03/01/gov-walker-cpac-record-wisconsin-rep-scalise-talks-dhs-funding-fight#p//v/4087171184001
• Walker stated in April 2015, "No amnesty. If you want to be a citizen, that's a whole different thing. You got to go back to your country of origin and get back in line like anybody else." Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/28/scott-walker-hits-back-wsj-piece-criticizing-his-l/
• In May 2015, Gov. Walker further explained his change of position on amnesty. He argued he had no "impact" on federal immigration policy in those roles and was merely "giving a quick momentary reaction" to a question from a national reporter. "A flip would be someone who voted on something and did something different," Walker said. "These are not votes. I don’t have any impact as a governor and I don’t have any impact as a former county official. ... I would [have an impact] if I were to run and ultimately be elected as president," Walker continued. "And so I spent the time talking to border state governors, I’ve talked to members of the Senate and the House, I’ve talked to people who care about this issue all across this country and what’s clear to me is … we need to make sure we have a system that makes sure that American workers and wages are at the top of our list of priorities." Source: http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/242618-walker-defends-rightward-shift-on-immigration
• In July 2015, during an interview with ABC News, Gov. Walker continued his position of enforcement first. When asked what he would do with the 11 million, he said, "Part of the problem that we have is everyone wants to jump forward to one part of the equation without doing the things we need to do in the right order." Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/07/14/abc_news_interviews_scott_walker_on_immigration_isis_gay_marriage.html
• When confronted by an illegal alien during a rally in July 2015, Gov. Walker wouldn't say that the illegal alien could stay. "We're a nation of laws. ... My point is that you have to follow the law, follow the process." Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/07/19/scott-walker-tells-undocumented-worker-that-immigrants-must-follow-the-law/

Support overall reduction in annual immigration

• In April 2015, Gov. Walker said that the legal immigration system may be harming American workers and says the next president will need to address it: "In terms of legal immigration, how we need to approach that going forward is saying—the next president and the next congress need to make decisions about a legal immigration system that’s based on, first and foremost, on protecting American workers and American wages, because the more I’ve talked to folks, I’ve talked to Senator Sessions and others out there—but it is a fundamentally lost issue by many in elected positions today—is what is this doing for American workers looking for jobs, what is this doing to wages, and we need to have that be at the forefront of our discussion going forward." Source: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/04/20/scott-walker-lays-out-pro-american-worker-stance-on-immigration/
• In April 2015, Gov. Walker said he believes that the current caps on immigration don't make any sense given the current economic and wage situation and the American workers need to come before foreign workers: Current immigration caps "just don't make a whole lot of sense.... a strong economy should be paramount.... and priority number one in that regard should be making sure that we think about the impact on American workers and American wages.” Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/28/scott-walker-hits-back-wsj-piece-criticizing-his-l/

End chain migration

• Gov. Walker has not addressed the issue of chain migration.

Protect against unfair work-visa competition

• In an August 2015 interview with Breitbat News Walker he would put American workers first saying, “Right now, we have arbitrary limits on immigration. We are a nation of immigrants and should make our legal immigration policy based on what’s best for American working families and their wages in a way that will improve the economy. We should take our current economic situation into account when making these decisions. Who can be against that? American workers and their families will always be my priority.” Source:http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/08/13/exclusive-scott-walker-lays-out-plan-to-secure-border-stop-immigration-insanity-in-new-interview/
• In April 2015, Gov. Walker tied the plight of American workers with the high number of legal foreign workers entering the country and believes legal immigration numbers should be looked at: "In terms of legal immigration, how we need to approach that going forward is saying—the next president and the next congress need to make decisions about a legal immigration system that’s based on, first and foremost, on protecting American workers and American wages, because the more I’ve talked to folks, I’ve talked to Senator Sessions and others out there—but it is a fundamentally lost issue by many in elected positions today—is what is this doing for American workers looking for jobs, what is this doing to wages, and we need to have that be at the forefront of our discussion going forward." Source: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/04/20/scott-walker-lays-out-pro-american-worker-stance-on-immigration/

End visa lottery

• Gov. Walker has not indicated a position on the visa lottery.