The former governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, addressed one of the touchiest subjects for members of the Republican Party yesterday during a visit to Puerto Rico, saying that conservatives should take pride in the United States’ position as “an immigrant nation” and place more value on the contribution that immigrants make to the country.
Bush, who is a potential 2016 presidential candidate for the Republican Party, gave a speech about economic opportunities and spoke in Spanish on a number of occasions, refusing to back away from the immigration issue ‒ unlike some of his potential rivals. “We should create an immigration system that drives economic opportunity for all of us,” he said. “We should move toward protecting the rule of law, protecting our border, making legal immigration easier than illegal immigration for sure, but we also want to look at this as a huge opportunity. The conservative cause would be better to embrace this rather than push it away.”
Bush also gave his endorsement to the notion of statehood for United States territory, which proved popular with his listeners at the Metropolitan University of Cupey. Bush declared that he believes statehood is the best way to take on both the responsibilities and the benefits of gaining US citizenship.
Bush was questioned about his intentions with regard to running for the presidency; however, he declined to give a definitive answer, saying it was not the time to kickstart a campaign.