Speeches at CPAC (2020s): on Immigration


Don Huffines: Federal government never has & never will secure the border

[At CPAC]: "Let me be clear. The federal government never has and never will secure the border," Huffines said. "The only chance we have of having a secure border is with a courageous governor."

[Texas Governor Greg] Abbott has committed to building a wall along the state's border & recently visited a stretch of the unfinished barrier with Trump. Abbott held a border security briefing at the Capitol with sheriffs from border areas. That meeting didn't stop Huffines' attacks on the governor's record.

Source: Dallas Morning News on 2021 CPAC Conference Jul 10, 2021

Donald Trump: Countless Americans are killed every year by criminal aliens

Illegal immigration costs American taxpayers hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars a year, funds that could be used to improve our schools, roads, hospitals, and other vital services. Instead, Democrats want to take even more of your money to give illegal aliens free healthcare, free federal welfare, free education. They get treated better than they want to treat our military and our vets. And I stopped it. But it's crazy.

The Democrat Party's immigration policies empower bloodthirsty cartels that maim, murder, and torture; that smuggle and traffic innocent human beings; that flood our communities with poisonous drugs. The Left's immigration policies are not compassionate; they are heartless, merciless, and cruel. Countless Americans are killed every year by criminal aliens. These are illegal aliens that come in, and they are, in many cases, very bad people.

Source: Remarks by President Trump at the 2020 CPAC Conference Feb 29, 2020

Donald Trump: Coronavirus: Border security is also health security

Border security is also health security. In our efforts to keep America safe, my administration has taken the most aggressive action in modern history to control our borders and protect Americans from the coronavirus. Came from China. In the early stages of the foreign outbreak, I ordered sweeping travel restrictions to prevent uncontrolled spread of this disease. Not only did we do it, but I did it very early. And that decision has been now given very good grades, like an A-plus- plus-plus.
Source: Remarks by President Trump at the 2020 CPAC Conference Feb 29, 2020

Donald Trump: Border is the single greatest disaster in American history

Now the Biden administration has turned the border into the single greatest disaster in American history, and perhaps in world history. Nobody's ever seen a border like this. Other countries don't have a border like this. Illegal border crossings are up over 1,000% from last year.

For the last three months in a row, more illegal alien minors have arrived than any other month in United States states history.

Source: Speech transcript from 2021 CPAC Conference Jul 11, 2021

Donald Trump: We will build the wall; and complete it in three weeks

The wall will be quickly completed. We will build the wall, complete the wall in three weeks. It took two and a half years on the wall, two and a half years to win all of the litigation, over 11 lawsuits they threw at us, and we have just about finished, and I said, they can't be serious. They don't want to close up the little loops, but nobody ever had a border so secure as the border that we have. We will be sealed good and tight, except for people coming into our country legally.
Source: Speech at the 2022 CPAC Conference in Orlando FL Feb 26, 2022

Jodey Arrington: Chaos at the border shameful: an international embarrassment

Rep. Arrington did not hesitate to call out the Biden administration for failing to take the issue seriously. "We have a Commander-in-Chief who is not willing to provide for the people's common defense. the lawlessness and chaos ensuing at our border is shameful, it is an international embarrassment. Texans have the sovereign power to defend our power and our people. When the federal government fails, we don't have to be helpless." He called on Texans to protect their own interests.
Source: The Post-Millennial blog on 2021 CPAC Conference Jul 10, 2021

Josh Hawley: We believe in borders because we believe in citizenship

Can I just say, by the way, on that subject, just on the subject of immigration. We get told all the time, "Oh, if you believe in a border, if you think that borders actually matter, if you think that citizenship actually matters, well, my goodness. I mean, you're a bigot. You're backwards." Can I just say. Can I just try to enlighten our liberal friends for a second? We believe in borders, because we believe in citizenship. And we believe in citizenship because we believe in America.
Source: Remarks by Senator Hawley at the 2021 CPAC Conference Feb 26, 2021

Josh Hawley: Cartels control our southern border, not the United States

He's opened up the southern border and has said to every cartel on the North American continent, come on in. Sometimes we say it is chaos. That's not quite right. Somebody is in control. The problem is that it is the cartels in control, not the United States. We are a border state too. The drugs that are flooding into our schools, that are flooding into our neighborhoods, into every part of the state, are coming across the southern border that Joe Biden has thrown open and said come on in.
Source: Speech at the 2022 CPAC Conference in Orlando FL Feb 24, 2022

Kristi Noem: First governor to send National Guard to southern border

The second most dangerous thing that's happening is down at our southern border. A nation without borders is a nation without laws and is not a nation at all. I was the very first governor that when Texas and Arizona asked for help, that sent my National Guard troops down there to help. National Guard are the best and our country deserves the best. They do missions like this all the time. They are ready, and they know how to complete that mission and then come home doing an excellent job.
Source: Speech transcript from 2021 CPAC Conference Jul 11, 2021

Mike Pence: National security starts with border security

Pence: This president knows that national security starts with border security. Under the president's leadership, we made historic investments to secure our border and end the crisis of illegal immigration. Mexico is doing more than ever before to secure our southern border, and apprehensions are down by 80% in the last 12 months. And we have already started to build that wall on the southern border of the United States.

Crowd: Build that wall!

Pence: We are building it. we are building it.

Source: Remarks by V.P. Pence at the 2020 CPAC Conference Feb 27, 2020

Ron DeSantis: Against open borders, amnesty, cheap foreign labor

We reject open borders and instead support American sovereignty and the American worker. Building a movement on the foundation of amnesty and cheap foreign labor is like building a house on a field of quicksand.
Source: Remarks by Senator DeSantis at the 2021 CPAC Conference Feb 26, 2021

Tom Cotton: Why are they undocumented? Because they're illegal

Have you seen that Joe Biden wants to ban the term illegal aliens? He wants to replace it with undocumented non-citizen. Why are they undocumented? Because they're illegal. And that's just the tip of the iceberg of their open borders immigration agenda. They want to give amnesty to 15 to 20 million illegal aliens, with no strings attached, with voting rights. They have halted deportations for all illegal aliens. They stopped building a wall on our border.
Source: Remarks by Senator Cotton at the 2021 CPAC Conference Feb 26, 2021

Donald Trump: I will sign a colossal increase in ICE deportation offices

Millions of illegal aliens are stampeding across our border. Interior enforcement has been shut down. Everyone is overstaying their visas. My wonderful travel ban, it was so wonderful. Refugee numbers are through the roof and spies and terrorists are infiltrating our country, totally unchecked. When I'm back in the White House, the very first reconciliation bill that I will sign will be for a massive increase in border patrol and a colossal increase in the number of ICE deportation offices.
Source: Speech at the 2023 CPAC Conference in Maryland Mar 4, 2023

  • The above quotations are from Speeches at Conservative Political Action Conferences (2020s).
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Immigration.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Donald Trump on Immigration.
  • Click here for more quotes by Mike Pence on Immigration.
2016 Presidential contenders on Immigration:
  Republicans:
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Gov.Jim Gilmore(VA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Gov.George Pataki(NY)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
Gov.Rick Perry(TX)
Sen.Rob Portman(OH)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI)
Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
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Page last updated: Jul 15, 2024