2015 State of the Union address: on Immigration


Carlos Curbelo: Modernize legal immigration: no official English

One difference between Rep. Curbelo's Spanish-language rebuttal to President Obama's State of the Union address and Sen. Joni Ernst English-language rebuttal: : Curbelo, an immigration-reform proponent, mentioned "modernizing legal immigration." Ernst didn't bring up immigration at all.

The differences are particularly noteworthy because the House GOP said when it announced its rebuttal speakers that Curbelo would offer a translation of Ernst's remarks. Curbelo said Tuesday afternoon that there would be differences, and Republicans changed their tune after Mother Jones reported earlier Tuesday that Ernst's positions--particularly in support of English as the country's official language--seemed in conflict with a Spanish-language rebuttal.

Source: Miami Herald coverage: 2015 State of the Union GOP response Jan 20, 2015

Curt Clawson: The law must be followed, but our house is your house

Curt Clawson, in the official Tea Party Express State of the Union response, blamed undocumented immigrants for the plight of 10 million unemployed Americans and emphasized legal immigration. Transitioning to Spanish, he said, "Todos creemos en Dios, la familia, el trabajo, y la libertad. Hay que respetar la ley. Pero, ustedes son bienvenidos con nosotros. Todos somos iguales. Por supuesto. Nuestra casa es su casa," which means, "We all believe in God, the family, hard work, and liberty. The law must be followed. You are all welcome with us. We are all equal. Of course. Our house is your house."

"As we respect our immigration laws--we've also got to be fair to the more than 10 million Americans currently struggling to find good jobs!" Clawson added. "To do this, we need to secure our borders first. This is important for fairness--and security--for all Americans."

Source: ThinkProgress on Tea Party 2015 State of the Union response Jan 20, 2015

  • The above quotations are from 2015 State of the Union address to Congress, plus the Republican Responses: Jan. 20, 2015.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Immigration.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Barack Obama on Immigration.
  • Click here for more quotes by Joni Ernst 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: Feb 24, 2019