Gary Johnson on Immigration Libertarian presidential nominee; former Republican NM Governor

A ban based on religion violates our Constitution

Donald Trump: It's called extreme vetting. They're coming in by the tens of thousands and Hillary Clinton wants to allow a 550% increase over Obama.

WRONG to deport 11 million undocumented from US

Gary Johnson: The deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants is WRONG. Issue work visas.

No random deportations; just keep out criminals & terrorists

Gary Johnson proposed a reformed immigration system that would "eliminate categories and quotas" and offer undocumented immigrants with an otherwise unblemished track record in the U.S. a path to legal status. Johnson wrote that border enforcement would be focused on "keeping out real criminals and would-be terrorists."

Jill Stein responded, "Immigrants are among the most law-abiding groups out there. It is false for Trump to be fear-mongering that immigrants are a community of violence."

Deporting 11M illegal immigrants is based on misinformation

JOHNSON: Well, I find both of his statements just incendiary, and I am speaking as a border state governor. The deportation of 11 million illegal immigrants is really based on misinformation. Building a fence across the border borders on insanity. We should make it as easy as possible for somebody that wants to come into this country and work to be able to get a work visa. I'm not talking about a green card; I'm not talking about a citizenship, but a work visa that should entail a background check and a Social Security card so that applicable taxes get paid. They are not taking jobs that U.S. citizens want. They're hard-working individuals. The reason for the 11 million illegal immigrants is because there are jobs that exist in this country and they can't get across the border legally, so they cross illegally.

Make work visas as easy as possible

JOHNSON: Look, if you're in the country illegally, come on in, get your work visa, as long as you've been law-abiding, we'll give you the work visa, and let's start make it easy to distinguish from a Border Patrol standpoint the difference between bad people that are crossing illegally and the woman with her kids who knows there are jobs in El Paso, but she's got to wade across the Rio Grande with her kids to get that job.

Q: But that would also be considered illegal.

JOHNSON: It is. Yes, it is.

Q: From a compassionate standpoint, I get the distinction. But from a legal one?

JOHNSON: Make it as easy as possible for her to get a work visa so that the line is moving to get across the border. And if she's gotten across the border already and she's held a job, look, come on in, get a work visa. Let's dot the i's and cross the t's on your being here legally. And I'm not even talking about being a citizen. Citizenry will still be a process.

Would veto Arizona SB 1070 as Latino racial discrimination

The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (Arizona SB 1070) was the broadest and strictest anti-illegal immigration measure during 2010. Federal law requires all aliens over the age of 14 to register with the US government after 30 days, and to have registration documents in their possession at all times. The Arizona act additionally made it a state misdemeanor crime for an alien to be in Arizona without carrying the required documents, required that state law enforcement officers attempt to determine an individual's immigration status during a "lawful stop, detention or arrest", when there is reasonable suspicion that the individual is an illegal immigrant.

Bigger border fence will only produce taller ladders

Governor Johnson has long advocated a simplified and secure system of work visas by which willing workers and willing employers can meet in a robust labor marketplace efficiently and economically.

Arizona anti-immigrant law leads to racial profiling

A 10-foot wall just requires an 11-foot ladder

"I have never been supportive of the wall," I answered. "A 10-foot wall just requires an 11-foot ladder."

2 year grace period for illegals to get work visas

Potential immigrants should be issued a Social Security card, which would allow them to pay taxes.
• There should be a two-year grace period for illegal immigrants to attain work visas so they can continue contributing to America and begin taking part in American society openly.
• Immigrants should be able to bring their families to the US after demonstrating ability to support them financially.

1 strike & you're out for legal immigrants who violate terms

It should be easier for a potential immigrant to get a work visa.
• Streamline the legal immigration process to reduce illegal immigration and allow the U.S. to know who enters the country and for what reasons.
• Enforce a 'one strike, you're out' rule for immigrants who circumvent the streamlined work visa process.
• Impose and enforce sanctions on employers for noncompliance with immigration laws.

Let some, but not all, illegal immigrants stay in US

We educate the world's best & brightest; why send them back?

A: 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.

And then legalize marijuana. 75% of the border violence with Mexico would go away.

Open the border; flood of Mexicans would become taxpayers

A: Hispanics who immigrate care about their families like other Americans care about their families. They're living in poverty in Mexico and can come to the US and do a lot better.

Q: By--according to some--taking away jobs.

A: They work the lowest-paying jobs. And they are taking jobs that other Americans don't necessarily want. They're hardworking people who are taking jobs that others don't want. That's the reality.

Q: Would you open the borders and make it easier to immigrate legally?

A: My vision of the border with Mexico is that a truck from the United States going into Mexico and a truck coming from Mexico into the United States will pass each other at the border going 60 miles an hour. Yes, we should have open borders.

Q: Many Americans fear the flood of immigrants that would follow.

A: They would become taxpayers. They're just pursuing dreams---the same dreams we all have. They work hard. What's wrong with that?

Mexican immigrants are pursuing same dreams we all have

A: It wouldn't be a problem if they were legal, so the process to make them legal should be easier.

Q: Many Americans fear the flood of immigrants that would follow.

A: They would come over and take jobs that we don't want. They would become taxpayers. They're just pursuing dreams---the same dreams we all have. They work hard. What's wrong with that?

Share costs of legal immigration between states & federal.

The Governors urge Congress to consider the following principles regarding immigration policies.
• The decision to admit immigrants is a federal one that carries with it a firm federal commitment to shape immigration policy within the parameters of available resources we as a nation are determined to provide.
• The fiscal impact of immigration decisions must be addressed by the federal government. The states, charged with implementing federal policy, have shared and are sharing in the costs; however, there should be no further shift of costs to the states.
• A basic responsibility of the federal government is to collect and disseminate timely and reliable statistical information on immigration and its consequences for the United States.
• Federal immigration policies should ensure that new immigrants do not become a public charge to federal, state, or local governments.
• The federal government must provide adequate information to and consult with states on issues concerning immigration decisions that affect the states.
• States should not have to incur significant costs in implementing federal laws regarding immigration status as a condition of benefits.

The Governors urge the following regarding Legalization and Naturalization:
• States require maximum flexibility in determining and allocating resources to meet the needs of newly legalized aliens.
• The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) must be diligent in its efforts to ensure that felons are not naturalized and being given the benefits of citizenship rather than being deported.
• The naturalization process should be streamlined to be more efficient and accessible to eligible applicants wishing to become citizens, with all the rights and responsibilities thereof.
• The INS must take aggressive action to eliminate the backlog of naturalization applications, which is now approximately 800,000 nationwide.

Federal government should deal with criminal repatriation.

[Regarding illegal immigration], the Governors continue to call on the federal government to negotiate and renegotiate prisoner transfer treaties to expedite the transfer of criminal aliens in the United States who are subject to deportation or removal. The negotiations for such agreements should focus on:
• ensuring that the transferred prisoners serve the balance of their state-imposed prison sentence;
• removing any requirement that the prisoners consent to be transferred to their countries of origin;
• structuring the process to require that the prisoners serve the remainder of their original prison sentence if they return to the United States; and
• considering economic incentives to encourage countries of origin to take back their criminal citizens.

Additionally, the Governors believe the federal government should:
• increase the use of interior repatriation with countries contiguous to the United States;
• place INS officials in state and local facilities for early identification of potentially deportable aliens - nearer the point of their illegal entry - to ensure formal deportation prior to release; and
• upon the request of a state Governor, place INS officers in state courts to assist in the identification of criminal aliens pending criminal prosecution.