Give Citizenship to Children Here Illegally Says No. 2 Republican

Eric Cantor comes out in favor of controversial policy

House Minority Leader Eric Cantor has announced he supports offering citizenship to children who were brought to the US illegally. This marks a turnaround since 2010, when Cantor opposed the policy as part of the DREAM Act.

Cantor first mooted the idea in a policy speech last Tuesday, and restated it emotively on Sunday's Meet the Press. "We want to make sure we're compassionate and sensitive to their plight - these kids know no other place as home," Cantor said.

His reversal is part of a broader GOP strategy that NYMag's Jonathan Chait calls "Krauthammer Plan":

This strategy was laid out by the ubiquitous pundit in a column published a mere two days after the election. In it, Krauthammer audaciously declared that the party needed to take a dive on immigration reform, and otherwise change nothing else. There was no 47 percent problem, no one percent problem, just an immigration problem.

Via Reuters and NYMag.

Do you want to see more Republicans back citizenship for undocumented children?

[gemstone]

NO WAY!!
Rewarding criminal behavior only leads to MORE of the same.
Children suffer from the bad CHOICES of the parents all the time.
At least one parent should be a citizen for this to apply.
ENOUGH of this madness!

[BobRooney]

If you against any kind of Amnesty, go to this website and register.
Google this: NUMBERSUSA .
Once you are registered, go to the "action board" to send free faxes to your state representative.
They are all typed up and ready to go, you just need to click your mouse to send.

[gemstone]

@BobRooney Been a member for years. A GREAT organization which has helped stop all the amnesty attempts to date. Easy to use and very effective.

[PoliticalSpice]

I hope vote republican. Let people know when you say this. Democrats run horrible campaigns (mondale, gore, kerry). They need you to help em win in 2016.

[marine1]

This is just another prime example of our politicians disregarding the wishes of their constituents and refusing to enforce the laws they swore to uphold and defend.

[rkinsawjoe]

Good for Charles Krauthammer! He's a real stand up guy.

[PNWest]

Krauthammer is desperately trying to find a way to keep the GOP from becoming irrelevant. Obviously being the anti-Hispanic, anti-black, anti-gay, anti-woman, anti-poor party of NO is too much of a downer to win elections . He wants the GOP to get a facelift and become the not so anti-Hispanic, anti-black, anti-gay, anti-woman, anti-poor party of NO. That'll work real well.

[crusader]

@PNWest Will you ever give up this rediculous anti everything attack of the GOP. There are actually people from all of those groups in the GOP, I geuss they actually hate themselves. I understand that dems have little creativity and have to resort to the same old attack lines, but it it really old and makes you look too biased to have an original thought. You just seem to regurgitate anything you hear said by the DNC and the White House no matter how silly it sounds

[PoliticalSpice]

Well Krauthammer is not a stand up guy, but he is intelligent and knows if the republican party doesn't make change it will be in the dust bin of history...

[PNWest]

@crusader The GOP lost the Hispanic vote, lost the black vote, lost the gay vote, lost the woman vote, lost the poor vote and takes pride in calling themselves not only the Party Of NO but the Party of HELL NO. What's inaccurate about my characterization?

[crusader]

@PNWest All that proves to me is that the DEMs are truly good at demonizing the GOP. As they should be because that is the majority of what they do, since they can not come up with arguments of real substance. Also the term party of NO was never embraced by anyone in the GOP. Unless you are referring to the No to the Obamacare and the expansion ot the government and increasing debt.

[stepped_in_it]

"Give Citizenship to Children Here Illegally"........GIVE? Has all the republicans lost their mind?(rhetoric question that doesn't need an answer) Does the 'pubs actually think that this action will BUY the vote of the Hispanic?(rhetoric question again) Why, when something that the 'pubs or democrats don't "like" comes up, they resort to stupidity?(last rhetoric question).....<shaking head & giving D.C. the one finger salute>

[PoliticalSpice]

We won this round. Citizenship for immigrants! Those who don't like it should feel free to self deport. I'll throw a going away party.

[texas_cutie75]

As sad as it is, the children are here because the parents broke the law, they are here ILLEGALLY!! They should be required to go through the proper channels, period!!!

[MrGreenHerb]

Lets tell that to your ancestors.

[texas_cutie75]

@MrGreenHerb

Both sets of grandparents came through Ellis Island from France. They did it the right way.

[MrGreenHerb]

@texas_cutie75 I do not know your family, but did your mother, father tell you that?

[Yank]

@MrGreenHerb if you are talking about the original settlers, please list what laws they broke.

[MrGreenHerb]

@Yank No, I'm not. I'm saying, its like being a hypocrite if someone who's going to tell illegal people within America without looking in their family tree to find out where they came from and how they came here, some come without going through the process and some actually do.

[MalloryGrace]

The parents of these children knew they were breaking our laws when they came here ILLEGALLY. Why make their children our problem? Send them all back to where they came from!!

[MrGreenHerb]

The children follow their parents, why punish the kids?

[PoliticalSpice]

Face it, you lost. Republicans are waving the white flag. Elections have consequences. If you don't like it, feel free to self deport.

[Thunderchicken]

Only AFTER we've dealt with the other illegal problems.

[PoliticalSpice]

You mean like the murderous mobs who stole this land from the American Indians and Mexican people?

[Thunderchicken]

@PoliticalSpice

The Indians that Whites encountered (of which Mexican are included in before the Spanish arrived) took their lands from the people they encountered. It was the way of the world back then. If you with lament history, lament the fact that the Indians weren't strong enough to hold what they took.

[PoliticalSpice]

@Thunderchicken Rather then dwell on the past and lament, I prefer to live in the present and take satisfaction in the idea that mexicans are managing to re-occupy their land, and expand onto the land of those who took it, abd are doing so without firing a shot. Seem right to me, and I'm happy to be part of the public opinion pushing to help them be able to stay without further harassment.

[Thunderchicken]

@PoliticalSpice

Why did you bring it up?

As for the "re-conquesta" movement, we shall see.

[PoliticalSpice]

@Thunderchicken Why did I bring it up? Ahh, come on, thunderchicken, let an opportunity to take a political shot go to waste? That's sin in my religion :)

[Thegrif]

Give the children and their parents a one way bus ticket out of America. Tell them they should have taken the legal way, as their mom and dad why they chose to be criminals.

[Clara007]

We must deal with the illegals who are already HERE and that includes the children of illegals who, through no fault of their own, grew up as "Americans". These children, if properly educated, cared for, encouraged, will become our doctors, teachers, military, firefighters, etc. Why should we "throw them away" when we can benefit from their love of America and god-given gifts? We ARE our brother's keeper and this is a opportunity to help each other. It is about time the GOP sees our immigrant population as a strength--not a weakness.

[gemstone]

And charity begins at home.
What makes America great is that we are a country of laws that should be applied equally to all.
Should bank robbers be allowed to keep the money they stole if caught?

It is time to stand up for our hard working struggling American families FIRST.
We cannot take in and support everyone who wants to come here or did it ILLEGALLY.
Even a lifeboat sinks when it is overcrowded.

[DogLady_1]

@gemstone - "Should bank robbers be allowed to keep the money they stole if caught?" The more relevant question here would be: "Should the children of bank robbers be made live on the streets because they used to eat food and sleep in homes bought with illegal money?"

[gemstone]

@DogLady_1
The sad reality is children suffer all the time from the poor CHOICES of the parents.
It is not, and should not be OUR problem.
These illegals don't have the common sense to stop having kids they cannot support, and then USE them as PAWNS to steal from Americas hard working struggling families. These are precisely the kinds of folks we do not need in America.

[DogLady_1]

@gemstone - so, how much time, effort and money do you think it will take to locate any living relative of an illegal immigrant, and then safely ship kids back to them? Do you think that will save us money?

[gemstone]

@DogLady_1 They found their way here and can certainly find their way back where they belong.
In the end whatever the cost it will be cheaper in the long term.

[DARSB]

The system we have doesn't work and now presents us with no practical options but amnesty and some sort of naturalization process. Reluctant GOPers can protest all they want but digging in their heels won't change the outcome and will only hasten the demise of the Republican party as a national influence.

[DerivePI]

I think the best option on the table is an improvement of required documentation prior to working, with severe punishments to US companies that hire employees without proper documentation.

[PoliticalSpice]

Republicans must continue insulting and calling em "illegal" till they cave in when congress votes. It's necessary to insure a permenant block of anti-republican voters for a generation, maybe more.

[Fishbone345]

The Enablers, places like Walmart and construction sites looking for cheap labor, should have to pay the way for these poor children. A fitting punishment for scumbags encouraging people to break the law.

[Grubby]

The problem with doing this is that the children then can sponsor their parents. With the Obama "open door" policy for illegals they will further overwhelm our entitlement programs and make our spending problem even worse. Yes, Idiots Obama and Pelosi, I said SPENDING PROBLEM.

[PoliticalSpice]

The only problem is republicans.

[Grubby]

@PoliticalSpice To a Liberal, that is right. The only thing keeping the Liberals from totally uncontrolled spending and national bankruptcy is those darned responsible Republicans.

[PoliticalSpice]

@Grubby Not a liberal. But touche' good come back :)

[whataGOVwehave]

I'm ok with it IF...the parents started paying taxes and quit sending all of their money over the border.

[Hireman]

Grand Old Panderers

[Fishbone345]

ILLEGALLY!..I just wanted to fit in. Seems it was kinda the trend for posts there for a bit.

[Republican5001]

WTF? No amnesty from the demotards or commucrats for the children? Thought meddling in others business was the commucrats way of life?

Send the children home but keep mom and dad here so the commucrats can rig elections?

[DogLady_1]

Name-calling: A form of ad hominem fallacy of logic. The use of offensive names especially to win an argument or to induce rejection or condemnation without objective consideration of the facts.

"Members and front organizations must continually embarrass, discredit and degrade our critics. When obstructionists become too irritating, label them as fascist or Nazi... The association will, after enough repetition, become 'fact' in the public mind." -Communist Party, Moscow Central Committee, 1943

[Republican5001]

@DogLady_1 hahaha, hadn't read that in a while

Feed the troll

[PoliticalSpice]

@DogLady_1 The problem is fascist and nazi stopped working long ago. But due to their antics "republican" seems to work well for the time being. It did in the last presidential election.

[DogLady_1]

@PoliticalSpice - First off, that was a quote from the liberal leftwing handbook written by the communist party of USSR... secondly, any namecalling is a fallacy of logic... No one has ever changed their attitude of point of view because someone called them a derogatory name. It says more about the name-caller than it does the one being labeled.

"Never does a man portray his own character more vividly than in his manner of portraying another's." -Jean Paul Richter

[PoliticalSpice]

@DogLady_1 Ya going to make me change my evil ways with some of your great quotes. I know I'm in trouble when I tussle with you DogLady :).

[falco_alba]

On the one hand, children shouldn't have to suffer because of the choices of their parents. On the other, this throws the door wide open for anchor babies.

[mimi57]

I have mixed feelings, the children did nothing and the poverty they live in is pitiful. Any parent would want more for their children than the horrible lives they
are subjected to in their country. I have a heart for kids..."Bless the beasts and the children, for they have no way, they have no say".

[gemstone]

Why do these people have kids they CANNOT support?
That kind of mindset is exactly the types we do not want here, we have enough already!

[Speedieg]

@gemstone because many of them are catholic and the church encourages them to do so and not practice birth control. This has little to do with Gods plan and more for the plan to make Catholicism the dominant world religion.

[PoliticalSpice]

You're going to ruin your reputation by being this tolerant. They will revoke your tea party membership card.

[mimi57]

@PoliticalSpice LOL...never been a 'true tea partier', only to the point of cutting
taxes.We are being taxed to death.

[PoliticalSpice]

@mimi57 What about just a tea tax..wait I think they tried that once :)

[cat2009]

Doesn't matter the decision to bring them over illegally was their parents and therefore they are just as illegal. There are a lot of other people in the world who don't have access to the Mexico border to cross over that we could feel sorry for. Cantor if your starting to change your position on immigration then I'm afraid I will have to change my opinion of you.

[BobRooney]

If you against any kind of Amnesty, go to this website and register.
Google this: NUMBERSUSA .
Once you are registered, go to the "action board" to send free faxes to your state representative.
They are all typed up and ready to go, you just need to click your mouse to send.

[Yank]

This is what I call the Cuban Exile effect. You get a minority group that obtains enough warm bodies to change the course of an election, both parties start pandering to them. Soon we will see the Democrats being almost 100% the party of the poor and minority voters who vote for the group who gives them the most personal benefit.