Jim Clyburn Quotes

The simple answer to the illegal alien problem is to secure our boarders and enforce the law.

The Federal Government does not control our borders as the law requires …. I haven’t received a response saying that the check is in the mail….When people illegally cross our borders that the Federal Government is supposed to control, the Federal Government should pick up the tab.

The key here is to be fair to the 11 million [illegal immigrants], starting with the [2 million younger illegals] ‘Dreamers'....I’ve stopped letting 30 percent of the people who are mad about immigration determine how I behave. To those who feel like you should deport [younger illegals], boy, I couldn’t disagree with you more…. To the people who object to this, I don’t want you to vote for me because I cannot serve you well.

Americans are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal immigrants entering this country. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by our citizens or legal immigrants, and the public services they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That's why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal aliens who try to take American jobs, and by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens.

I am for deporting all recent unattached illegals. I am for a local citizen panel to consider certification of those who have been here 25 years and have family and community and have been law-abiding and tax-paying.

I have the utmost respect for those who have come to this country legally and have contributed to the great melting pot that is America today. But those who have crossed our borders illegally have broken the law and the law ought to be enforced.

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.

Common sense and history tell you that rewarding illegal behavior will only encourage more of it.

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

On immigration reform you don’t get a bill without a path to citizenship .

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

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

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

I think we gotta have tough conditions. Tell people to come out of the shadows. If they’ve committed a crime deport them no questions asked. They’re gone. If they if they’ve been working and are law abiding, we should say, ‘Here are the conditions for you staying: you have to pay a stiff fine because you came here illegally, you have to pay back taxes, and you have to try to learn English, and you have to wait in line.’

I think we should be pushing for amnesty and a path to citizenship for every undocumented person residing in the United States who has not committed a violent crime, with a special emphasis on keeping families together.

These illegal aliens are criminals and we need to treat them as such. I'm not in favor of giving amnesty to anybody who has broken the law. I applaud what our Georgia legislature is doing in trying to crack down on this situation.

Amnesty is a terrible policy, and it's terrible politics. It's a terrible policy because you are rewarding people for breaking the law.

Go after the illegal employers. No free stuff. Take the handcuffs off law enforcement. They'll go home! They'll self-deport! The problem today is they break the law. They come across the border. And again, what's coming across that border today are bad guys!

I will continue to enforce all the laws, including illegal immigration. Nothing changes.

This is the sheriff you're talking about, with a gun and badge that enforces the law. Nothing is going to stop me from cracking down on illegal immigration as long as the laws are there.

Well, I think we need to have attrition by enforcement. We need to secure our borders. We need to enforce our laws.

I am, you know, adamantly against illegal immigrants.

One way to sensitize Washington to the illegal alien problem is to make them pay for it.

If someone comes here illegally, we owe them absolutely nothing.

Deportation is crucial. Credibility in immigration policy can be summed up in one sentence: Those who should get in, get in; those who should be kept out, are kept out; and those who should not be here will be required to leave. The top priorities for detention and removal, of course, are criminal aliens. But for the system to be credible, people actually have to be deported at the end of the process