There is a rampant online rumor, primarily circulating among Tea Party circles, that Rand Paul supports amnesty.
What exactly is amnesty? Generally, people seem to agree that amnesty means offering illegal immigrants citizenship, which would reward them for breaking the law and would put them ahead of those who have applied to enter the country legally.
Does Rand Paul support amnesty? No, he does not.
So why do people believe he does? Two articles/headlines in particular claimed that he did, but they were not accurate.
One was a Breitbart article, titled "Rand Paul: Let's Compromise on Amnesty."
But it turns out that Rand Paul never said what was implied. In actuality, Rand Paul said he was open to compromise on immigration reform (which can mean many things), but he has never supported granting citizenship to illegals.
In response to this misleading headline, Rand Paul said this: "I will not let sloppy journalists characterize my position as “amnesty.” It is simply untrue."
Another article was created by the Associated Press and widely redistributed under various titles. It claimed that Paul supported a pathway to citizenship, citing a speech he gave. And yet, he never mentioned a pathway to citizenship in his speech.
In 2013, during the Gang of Eight bill debate, Paul offered an amendment to prevent a pathway to citizenship.
VERDICT: Rand Paul opposes amnesty, and the media lied about his position.
To learn more about Paul's position on immigration, watch the video below:
If Rand Paul would clearly state his opposition to amnesty AND his support for DEPORTATION; then there would be no confusion. His nuanced way of playing politics is not selling with the American public. Imagine where he would be in the polls if he spoke clearly, directly and held Donald Trumps position on this one issue...!
ReplyDelete-David H., Fort Worth, Texas