Matt Salmon Quotes

I just always believe that we should not reward people with citizenship whose first act in this country was a violation of the law. And I continue to hold that view. But let me say, I think there is plenty of room here for compassion. And there's plenty of room here for crafting a solution that will deal with this issue in the long term.

One simple rule: no amnesty, no special pathway to citizenship.

I think there's no problem getting through the House a pathway to legal status. A pathway to citizenship is going to be tougher, but I think it is potentially doable, if we can show the American people that the border is secure.

Any proposal that allows people who are here illegally to cut to the front of the line is amnesty.

What if we move to a path to legalization? How do we reconcile that with justice and fairness with those that come here legally?

Illegal aliens have broken our laws, and they shouldn't be rewarded with amnesty and immediate legalization.

I think what he [Donald Trump] has said is that people are not going to be eligible for legalization or citizenship unless they leave the country and get back in line.

We should have a path to legal status for the 12 million people that are here illegally. It means, come out from the shadows, pay a fine, earn legal status by working, by paying taxes, learning English. Not committing crimes and earn legal status where you're not cutting in front of the line for people that are patiently waiting outside.

For the undocumented immigrants, the big priority is just to get out from the shadows, be able to get a driver's license, buy an airplane ticket and stop worrying about sudden deportation. But for the country as a whole, it's crucial that everybody have a citizen's stake in the nation's welfare.

We're not going to deport 12 million people, so let's stop this fiction. Let's give them permanent status.

The policy is anyone who's here illegally is here illegally, does not have the right to be here. We'll decide whether it's in our interest to let them stay or not. Perhaps it is in our interest to let some of them stay.

I'm not in favor of any amnesty whatsoever.

We feel a pathway to citizenship would reward illegal activity, ... Amnesty encourages further illegal immigration.

I want to be very clear - there will be no path to legalization.

We will have a mechanism for dealing with people in this country that - you heard the word humanely again. It is going to be fair. It is going to be tough. But there will be no path to legalization, no path to citizenship unless people leave the country.

We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws.

I started coming to L.A. as often as I could, for three months on and three months off, because immigration kicks you out after 90 days.

The other thing I like, in fact, several months ago I introduced a bill to end the absurd catch and release policy where our government has been giving tickets, essentially, to people who enter illegally and then letting them go and show up of their own volition.

Washington, D.C. is what is broken, not the immigration policies. We have good laws. We have people suffer every day because of government's failure to enforce the law and be respectful to the process we have. We have a pathway to citizenship already in place.

We can still find middle ground, truly secure our borders, deal with those already here and address our labor needs. But those who advocate giving current illegal aliens and future guest workers a special path to citizenship must compromise.

The real problem is clean up the bureaucracy that people have to deal with to become a citizen the right way. And we must truly secure the border. We can't leave it porous.

Once we secure our borders - and the federal government has not done a good job - then Congress, I believe, needs to take up the issue and look at how we try and identify those people that are here, that are national security risks to the United States.

The recent, single-year influx of unaccompanied minors from foreign countries into the United States is a direct result of President Obama's policies of encouraging amnesty and failing to enforce existing immigration laws.

What the president is doing is flooding the job market with illegal immigrants that he is giving temporary work permits to. Not fair.

I'm in favor of building the fence, and doing everything technologically to protect our borders. But the other way to secure the border, and one of the things we must do, is put in place good guest-worker programs that employers can actually use.