2018 PA Senate race: on Immigration


Bob Casey: Comprehensive reform, including DREAMers staying

Q: Support DREAM Act (DACA), letting "Dreamers" who arrived illegally as children, then grew up in the US, to achieve legal status if meet certain conditions?

Lou Barletta (R): No. Has sponsored bills to defund & end DACA & "stop DACA in its tracks." Introduced 2017 bill to remove Dreamers' work eligibility permits.

Bob Casey (D): Yes. Supported 2017 bill to let Dreamers become permanent residents if they meet certain qualifications.

Q: Support path to citizenship for America's 11 million illegal immigrants?

Lou Barletta (R): No. Supports zero-tolerance policy to strengthen existing laws & protect borders. Against citizenship for US-born children of illegal immigrants.

Bob Casey (D): Yes. Must secure our borders, but also finally address comprehensive immigration reform. Voted for 2013 comprehensive reform bill with earned path to citizenship, which failed.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Pennsylvania Senate race Oct 9, 2018

Lou Barletta: Zero-tolerance policy; stop DACA in its tracks

Q: Support DREAM Act (DACA), letting "Dreamers" who arrived illegally as children, then grew up in the US, to achieve legal status if meet certain conditions?

Lou Barletta (R): No. Has sponsored bills to defund & end DACA & "stop DACA in its tracks." Introduced 2017 bill to remove Dreamers' work eligibility permits.

Bob Casey (D): Yes. Supported 2017 bill to let Dreamers become permanent residents if they meet certain qualifications.

Q: Support path to citizenship for America's 11 million illegal immigrants?

Lou Barletta (R): No. Supports zero-tolerance policy to strengthen existing laws & protect borders. Against citizenship for US-born children of illegal immigrants.

Bob Casey (D): Yes. Must secure our borders, but also finally address comprehensive immigration reform. Voted for 2013 comprehensive reform bill with earned path to citizenship, which failed.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Pennsylvania Senate race Oct 9, 2018

Bob Casey: Support sanctuary cities like Philadelphia

Republican opponent Lou Barletta has been campaigning against Mr. Casey's support for sanctuary cities such as Philadelphia. At the campaign rally for Barletta, Mr. Trump told voters that Mr. Casey is for "open borders" and has opposed every one of his proposals to toughen immigration policy and border security
Source: Washington Times on 2018 Pennsylvania Senate race Aug 20, 2018

Lou Barletta: Avoiding immigrant family separation is amnesty

Facing a national uproar [over family separations when detaining illegal immigrants], House GOP leaders included a provision in the immigration proposal that would require families to be kept together for as long as they are in the custody of the Homeland Security Department. The proposed fix won approval from moderate House Republicans, but not from Republican Senate candidates.

In Pennsylvania, Rep. Lou Barletta took an aggressive approach against his own party's immigration plan. "I hate it," he said. "What does it accomplish? It's amnesty."

Barletta said he has compassion for the children caught up in the immigration debate. But he said he wouldn't support an immigration bill unless it also blocked employers from hiring immigrants who are in the US illegally, eliminated "sanctuary cities" & ended family-based migration.

Barletta said his party should "absolutely" fear a political backlash from its base this fall should Republicans push through the current compromise.

Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune on 2018 Pennsylvania Senate race Jun 17, 2018

Jim Christiana: Hold sanctuary cities liable for damages by the undocumented

If elected, Christiana planned to focus on combating the nationwide opioid epidemic, repealing ObamaCare and making higher education more affordable, according to his campaign website. He also wants to crack down on illegal immigration, saying he has supported attempts to hold sanctuary cities liable for damages by undocumented immigrants, according to his campaign website.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on 2018 Pennsylvania Senate race May 15, 2018

Jim Christiana: Replace lottery visa program with a merit-based process

Christiana said he supports a permanent solution to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that would include a path to a legal status, but not citizenship, for DACA recipients. Giving them citizenship, he said, would incentivize more illegal immigration.

He also supports Trump's proposal to scrap the lottery visa program and replace it with a merit-based process; altering the industry-specific visas; and narrowing the family reunification program to consider only immediate family members.

"Labeling that chain migration is more divisive rhetoric that is unnecessary," he said, referring to how Trump has discussed the program.

Source: Lancaster Online on 2018 Pennsylvania Senate race Apr 7, 2018

Rick Saccone: Intense vetting of immigrants from terror-training countries

Rick Saccone will fight for intense vetting of immigrants coming from terror-training countries. He supports Kate's Law and securing our borders.
Source: 2018 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website RickSaccone.com Feb 3, 2018

  • The above quotations are from 2018 Pennsylvania Senate race: debates and news coverage.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Immigration.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Bob Casey on Immigration.
Candidates and political leaders on Immigration:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R)
Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R)
Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Dec 11, 2018