In the wake of the decision by Texas judge Andrew Hanen to put a halt – temporarily, at least – to the executive action taken by President Obama on immigration reform, four top Republican Party leaders are looking to change their party’s attitude to reform to something more positive.
Kentucky’s Senator Rand Paul, Florida’s Senator Marco Rubio, Wisconsin’s Governor Scott Walker and the former Florida governor Jeb Bush are all presidential candidate hopefuls, yet they have displayed a very different attitude to immigration reform to many of their colleagues. Although they toe the party line when it comes to securing the nation’s borders, they have been consistent in demanding a more humane and long-term approach to deal with the 12 million undocumented immigrants who already live and work in the United States.
With the top Republicans soon to start fighting it out for a shot at the top job, these differences are certain to cause divisions in the party and could result in a change in attitude. Rubio stuck to his principles over the weekend when faced with hostile crowds in New Hampshire, stating that the idea of deporting millions upon millions of people was the stuff of fantasy.
“You have 12 million human beings in America, most of whom we don’t even know who they are and some of them whom our country’s not going to tolerate rounding up and sending back,” Rubio declared. “That’s not a realistic proposal.”