Amnesty is a big billboard, a flashing billboard, to the rest of the world that we don't really mean our immigration law.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Amnesty is a terrible policy, and it's terrible politics. It's a terrible policy because you are rewarding people for breaking the law.
I don't believe in amnesty... What I have proposed is that we would come forth with a program that allows individuals to come forward and to plead guilty... They would have to pay a fine; they would have to go through a background check - some say learn English - and they would get learned legal status.
Amnesty is not the answer as it will only encourage more illegal immigrants to enter.
If there's amnesty leading to citizenship, I'm going to vote against it again.
I will support a path to citizenship if it does not fall within the definition of amnesty, and we've got to define what amnesty is in this country.
Since the '86 amnesty, the number of illegal immigrants has quadrupled. That should teach Congress a very important lesson: Amnesty 'bends' the rule of law. And bending the rule of law to reach a 'comprehensive' deal winds up provoking wholesale breaking of the law.
I'm not in favor of any amnesty whatsoever.
Amnesty is as good for those who give it as for those who receive it. It has the admirable quality of bestowing mercy on both sides.
You know, when President Reagan, who was one of my idols, granted amnesty to about three million illegal immigrants it was based on the fact that the borders would be secured. That didn't happen. It didn't happen during the Bush administration.
Amnesty is the forgiveness of something. Amnesty is anything that says, 'Do it illegally, it will be cheaper and easier.'