The New Look Republican Party: Immigration

The most visible sign of strain in the Republican party today… How to move forward on immigration reform.

FOX News Radio’s Jared Halpern continues our series “The New Look Republican Party”:

(King) “The Republicans are going down a foolish path.”

Iowa Congressman Steve King, critical of his own party’s plan for immigration reform.

(King) “I didn’t have to go into logical contortionism to redefine amnesty.”

King, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, says granting legal status to anyone in the country illegally is nothing less than amnesty. That puts him at odds with 2012 Republican VP nominee Paul Ryan.

(Ryan) “This is not giving anybody an amnesty. This is not giving anybody a break.”

Ryan argues any path to legalization will start with probationary status, require fluency in English, paid fines and taxes.

(Ryan) “You got to actually use a real social security number, and your real identity. We think that helps to secure national security. We think that’s good to do.”

And the RNC’s Hispanic Outreach Director Jennifer Sevilla Korn argues it could be good politics, too.

(Korn) “Republicans who are very thoughtful are trying to do this the right way, and really have a balance and fix the system.”

Critics, like King, say the GOP is trying to win votes that aren’t there.

(King) “If Republicans think there’s a political beneficiary of sacrificing the rule of law on the alter of political expediency, they’ve built it on the wrong premise.”