Donald Trump Dropped by NBC After Anti-Immigrant Remarks

Wall Street Journal

By Keach Hagey

June 29, 2015

Donald Trump Dropped by NBC After Anti-Immigrant Remarks

Four days after Univision pulled out of its business relationships with Donald Trump over comments he made about Mexican immigrants, NBC is doing the same.

The broadcast network said on Monday that it will no longer air the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, which it jointly owns with Mr. Trump.

“At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values,” the company said in a statement. “Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump.”

NBC said that Mr. Trump had already announced that he would not be participating in “The Apprentice” on NBC, though “Celebrity Apprentice,” which is licensed by Mark Burnett’s United Artists Media Group, will continue.

Mr. Trump touched off the media firestorm during a speech on June 16 announcing his candidacy for president, in which he promised to build a “great, great wall” on the Mexican border.

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” he said. “They’re sending people that have a lot of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

At a press conference in Chicago on Monday, Mr. Trump stood by his comments and said his “stance on immigration is correct.”

“As far as ending the relationship, I have to do that, because my view of immigration is different from the folks at NBC,” Mr. Trump said. “I told NBC, I just can’t change my stance.”

Later on Monday, Mr. Trump released a formal statement confirming he was no longer affiliated with NBC. “NBC is weak, and like everybody else is trying to be politically correct,” he wrote.

The original comments on immigration prompted Miss USA presenter Roselyn Sanchez to drop out of the pageant, scheduled for July 12, as well as Colombian singer J Balvin who was scheduled to play.  On Thursday, Univision, the Spanish-language network scheduled to air the pageant, said it was ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump over his “recent, insulting remarks about Mexican immigrants.”

Mr. Trump has accused the Mexican government of putting pressure on Univision to break its contract with the Miss Universe Organization, which puts on both the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, because he had exposed “significant damage that is being done at the southern border.”

Mr. Trump later wrote a letter to Univision CEO Randy Falco saying Univision employees were banned from his golf course in Miami.

As of the end of last week, Comcast Corp.’s NBC had not commented on whether it planned to also air the Miss USA pageant, but tried to distance itself from Mr. Trump’s comments with a statement saying that NBC did “not agree with his positions on a number of issues including his recent comment on immigration.” In the wake of that statement, a petition was posted to Change.org suggesting this was insufficient and calling on NBC to sever ties with Mr. Trump. The petition currently has over 200,000 signatures.

“Univision decided to see principles as a priority instead of business and cut ties with Trump and Miss USA,” wrote Guillermo Castaneda Jr on Change.org, adding, “A large part of your audience is Hispanic and we watch NBC, NBC News and Telemundo. How about looking out for us?”

The Miss Universe Organization didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The Miss USA pageant brought in $3.87 million in advertising revenue last year, up 30%  from $2.96 million the previous year, according to Kantar Media.

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com

Carlos Slim scraps project with Donald Trump after Mexico insults

Reuters

June 29, 2015

Carlos Slim scraps project with Donald Trump after Mexico insults

A television company controlled by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has cancelled a project with real estate developer and TV personality Donald Trump after his comments insulting Mexicans, Slim's spokesman said on Monday.

This is the third company to cut ties with Trump, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the November 2016 presidential election. NBC said earlier on Monday that it would no longer air the "Miss USA" and "Miss Universe" pageants due to his comments. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision also said on Thursday it would not air the "Miss USA" pageant.

Ora TV, a production company co-founded by Slim and TV personality Larry King and funded by America Movil, cancelled a program it was working on with some of Trump's companies, Slim's spokesman and son-in-law Arturo Elias said.

"His statement was totally out of line...working with someone so closed-minded was not going to work," Elias said, adding that the comments were racist.

Trump, earlier this month, described migrants from Mexico to the United States as drug-runners and rapists.

Telecoms magnate Slim is the world's second-richest man, with a net worth of around $71.1 billion, according to Forbes. Trump is at number 405 on the list, worth $4.1 billion.

The Financial Times first reported the cancellation of the project earlier on Monday.

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com

NBC severing of ties with Donald Trump called watershed moment for Latino clout

Fox News Latino

By Elizabeth Llorente

June 29, 2015

NBC severing of ties with Donald Trump called watershed moment for Latino clout

Latino media advocacy leaders say NBC’s decision Monday to end its business ties with presidential candidate Donald Trump because of his denigrating comments about Mexicans marked a watershed moment for Latinos.

“Things are never going to be the same,” said Alex Nogales, the president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, a Latino media advocacy group, about Latino empowerment. “When have we seen Latinos come out so quickly and strongly against something, and get a result so quickly?”

Nogales’ group was part of a coalition of 39 Latino advocacy organizations that called on NBC to get out of business with Trump. Similarly, a petition urging the same thing on the Change.orgwebsite had gathered more than 218,000 signatures as of Monday afternoon.

“Latino leadership mobilized in a lot of different areas, from the West coast to the East coast and every point in between,” Nogales said. “And a young [Hispanic] took it upon himself to start a petition online that got more than 200,000 signatures."

There’s a feeling in the Latino community like the scene [from the movie 'Network'] where people start shouting ‘I'm mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!

- Alex Nogales, National Hispanic Media Coalition

"There’s a feeling in the Latino community like the scene [from the movie 'Network'] where people start shouting ‘I'm mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!’”

Nogales sees NBC's response to pressure from Latinos as a game-changer in how vocal and activist Latino will be going forward.

"Once you taste victory and you know you can do it, you become more vehement," Nogales said, "not only about messages in the media about the Latino community, but about every other issue that comes up as well."

During his presidential kickoff speech, Trump, who is one of more than a dozen Republicans who have launched a presidential campaign, said Mexican immigrants are "bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists and some, I assume, are good people."

He called for building a wall along the southern border of the United States. In news interviews immediately afterward, Trump defended his words, often even sharing more condemning views about Mexicans. Trump later said that his remarks were directed at U.S. policymakers, not the Mexican government or its people.

Spanish-language television media giant Univision quickly announced that it would not broadcast the Miss USA nor Miss Universe pageants, of which Trump is an owner, despite a five-year contract to do so.

Feliz Sanchez, chairman of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, which also is part of the coalition pressuring NBC to break ties with Trump, said NBC’s decision resulted from “civil rights leadership in the digital age."

He said momentum for a backlash against Trump developed on the Internet and exploded there.

“What happened is that there was a groundswell of social media that led to this conclusion,” Sanchez said. “Univision read the tea leaves first, and before it got out of control, they acted. It took NBC longer. But in three days over 200,000 people signed the petition on Change.org asking NBC to halt its business relationship with Trump – it put NBC in a precarious position.”

“The Latino community made it very clear that if you own [Spanish network] Telemundo and your principal audience is Latino, you can’t keep going in a direction in which you normally would go, you have got to change and follow the Latino community.”

NBC broadcasts as well as co-owns the pageants with the Trump Organization.

On Friday, Nogales met with NBC executives to discuss diversity both in front and behind the camera. The executives included NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt, and NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke. Before the meeting concluded, Nogales raised the issue of Trump.

“I said ‘What Trump has said about Latinos,’” he recounted. “I said ‘You have the Miss Universe pageant. We urge you to drop him and drop his show.’”

“Who is going to tolerate that” barrage of insults, Nogales said. “The guy hasn’t heard us, he hasn’t accepted that that kind of hate speech and those views aren’t going to be tolerated. We were [at the same time] as a nation going through a discussion about the Confederate flag and [symbols] of hate.”

On Monday morning, NBC executives called Nogales to tell him that they indeed were ending their ties to Trump.

“This was very welcome news,” Nogales said.

Both Sanchez and Nogales said political leaders, notably the presidential candidates, virtually ignored the firestorm that Trump’s remarks unleashed among Latinos.

“On one hand, people think of Donald Trump as a joke,” Sanchez said, “but when you announce that you’re running for president and in that announcement you defame 54 million Latinos in the United States, you cannot dismiss what that person says.”

“You didn’t get someone like Jeb Bush, whose wife is Mexican, and whose children are half Mexican, immediately going after Trump, as he should have,” Sanchez said. “None of the Republican presidential contenders confronted him, nor did the chairman of the Republican National Committee put his foot down.”

The Democrats, Sanchez said, did not fare too much better.

“The Democrats’ strategy was ‘Let Trump play out, and let it build such animosity among Latinos that they won’t vote Republican and will stay in the Democrat column,’” Sanchez said. “But the strategy is at our expense.”

“Democrats expect us to take it because they may benefit,” he added. “It’s an example of both parties wanting power and profit from the Latino community.”

For his part, Nogales says the silence among presidential candidates as Trump offended Latinos will come back to haunt them.

"It can be used against them," he said. "We'll ask 'Where were you when we asked you to stand up with us for what is right?' They were nowhere around, and then you want our vote?"

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com

Mexico’s Televisa drops Miss Universe after Trump remarks

AP

June 29, 2015

Mexico’s Televisa drops Miss Universe after Trump remarks

Mexican media giant Televisa says it will no longer broadcast the Miss Universe Pageant or engage any other communication project with Donald Trump.

Televisa says its decision comes in the wake of “disrespectful” remarks by Trump that the company says offended the entire Mexican population.

During his presidential kickoff speech, Trump said Mexican immigrants are “bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people.” He advocated building a wall along the United States’ southern border.

Televisa said in a statement Monday night that it “strongly rejects all forms of discrimination, racism and xenophobia.”

Trump did not respond immediately to the decision by Televisa, one of the largest commercial television groups in the Western Hemisphere. NBC also ended its relationship with Trump on Monday.

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com

Petition for NBC to Cut Ties With Trump Draws 200,000 Names

AP

June 29, 2015

Petition for NBC to Cut Ties With Trump Draws 200,000 Names

A petition asking NBC to fire Donald Trump has collected more than 200,000 signatures.

Posted on the Change.org website, the petition calls out NBC of choosing business over "ethics, principles and values" in the wake of Trump's recent statements when declaring his candidacy for president. Among his remarks, the GOP hopeful portrayed immigrants from Mexico as "bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists, and some, I assume, are good people."

Last week, Univision, the nation's largest Spanish-language network, said it wouldn't air the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, which are co-owned by Trump, and will cut all future business ties with him.

NBC responded only by saying the company doesn't "agree with his positions on a number of issues including his recent comments on immigration."

NBC is co-owner with Trump of the pageants and is in business with him as host and a producer of "The Celebrity Apprentice." A sister network of NBC is Telemundo, another major Spanish-language TV outlet, which aired the Miss Universe pageants before Univision won the contract.

"A large part of your audience is Hispanic and we watch NBC, NBC News and Telemundo," said the man who posted the petition, Guillermo Castaneda, Jr., in addressing NBC. "How about looking out for us?"

NBC had no comment on the petition.

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com

Will latest inflammatory comments tarnish Trump’s brand?

AP

By Mae Anderson

June 30, 2015

Will latest inflammatory comments tarnish Trump’s brand?

Is Donald Trump’s business empire as Teflon-coated as his hair appears to be?

Trump has found himself on the receiving end of the catchphrase he made famous on his reality show “The Apprentice” — “You’re fired!” — after NBC dumped the real estate mogul Monday over comments he made about immigrants during his recent presidential campaign kickoff speech.

Trump, known for his poufy red hair and penchant for provocative remarks, has never shied away from controversy. But as he launches his 2016 presidential bid in earnest, his latest comments — that some Mexican immigrants bring drugs and crime to the country and are rapists — offended many, were denounced by Mexican-American groups and led NBC to abruptly drop the billionaire.

Mexican media giant Televisa also said it would no longer be doing business with Trump.

The flap has some wondering if the backlash may spill over to his globe-spanning empire of real estate properties. But other experts say NBC’s dramatic action simply gives “The Donald” more of the attention and publicity he craves.

“I think that people have come to expect this kind of behavior from Trump,” said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys Inc., which monitors brand equity. “You don’t have to agree with him, but he is one of the few human brands wandering around anymore.”

Other personality-based brands have been felled by inflammatory remarks, such as Paula Deen, the celebrity chef who lost her show and endorsement deals in 2013 for making racist remarks. But Trump’s empire — and brand personality — is far bigger than Deen’s, spread across vast hotel and other real estate holdings.

Trump has said his net worth totals $8.7 billion, though Forbes magazine’s analysis of billionaires pegs it at about $4.1 billion. Here’s a look at his various holdings and how the recent controversy may affect them.

___

TELEVISION

While TV revenues are just a small part of Trump’s billions, NBC’s decision Monday that it would no longer air the annual Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, was the sudden end of a long-running relationship. “The Apprentice” debuted in 2004 and was a smash, making Trump a familiar figure in many American living rooms.

In recent years its spinoff, “Celebrity Apprentice,” was a modest performer but a reliable part of NBC’s schedule as the network fought to get out of the ratings cellar. The network plans to try to continue “Celebrity Apprentice” without Trump as its colorful center, but a previous effort, 2005’s short-lived “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart,” failed to find an audience.

Despite the loss of his NBC deal, Larry Chiagouris, marketing professor at Pace University in New York, said it’s likely that after his presidential bid winds down that Trump will wind up with a show on another network.

“I bet you’ll see a Trump brand show of some kind on CBS or ABC or FOX,” he said. “The Trump name still brings attention and eyeballs.”

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REAL ESTATE

Trump says that his ownership stakes in real estate are worth $5.3 billion, ranging from the Trump Tower in New York to the Mar-a-Lago golf club in Palm Beach, Florida. Some in the real estate industry see the impact of his recent comments as minimal.

“This is a blip on the radar,” said Stefani Markowitz, president of the New York-based brokerage Rutenberg. “And there is little question that his real estate holdings not only won’t be affected, but will continue to rise.”

Others say Trump’s comments about Mexicans and other ethnic groups could hurt him in closing real estate deals in the future. Don Peebles, a real estate developer with a $5 billion portfolio of properties, said he vehemently disagrees with Trump’s comments and said government officials involved in public-private partnerships might be wary of conducting business with Trump.

Real estate moguls such as the Sultan of Brunei have lost business due to their political views. Last year, many celebrities and entertainment industry leaders boycotted the Beverly Hills Hotel and other properties controlled by the sultan due to the tiny Southeast Asia nation’s adoption of Islamic Shariah law that called for punishing adultery, abortions and same-sex relationships with flogging and stoning.

As for Trump, Peebles said, “It’s hard to tell how long the anger lasts and whether there is a residual impact.”

__

HOTEL BRANDS

Trump manages or lends his name to nine hotels marketed as the Trump Hotel Collection. They include properties in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, Toronto and golf resorts in Florida and Ireland. Another four properties are under development including one in Rio de Janeiro and one in Washington, D.C. His daughter Ivanka has been very active in the hotels, personally overseeing recent renovations at one of the New York City locations.

Chris McGinnis, founder of travel news and advice site TravelSkills.com, said it’s not likely the comments will affect the hotel business.

“Business travelers may find what he said distasteful, but if their meeting is a across the street from a Trump hotel, that’s likely where they will stay,” he said. “There are plenty of people who do not like the politics of the Marriott family, but that clearly has had little impact on that chain.”

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com

NBC to Donald Trump: You’re Fired

New York Times

By Alan Rappeport

June 30, 2015

NBC to Donald Trump: You’re Fired

NBC has told Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential candidate and former star of “The Celebrity Apprentice” reality show, that he’s fired.

After Mr. Trump made inflammatory remarks about Mexican immigrants, NBC said in a statement Monday that it was ending its business relationship with the billionaire real estate and media mogul. During his June 16 announcement that he was running for president, Mr. Trump referred to immigrants as “rapists” and “murderers.”

Citing the “derogatory statements,” NBC said it would also no longer air the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, which were part of a venture between Mr. Trump and the network.

Mr. Trump had taken steps to distance himself from “The Celebrity Apprentice” while he pursued his presidential campaign because of the conflict it presented. NBC, which had renewed the program for another season, would not allow Mr. Trump to appear on the air while running for office because of concerns that other candidates could request equal airtime. But he could have come back — and NBC probably would have welcomed him back — if he had dropped his bid at any point.

But his comments on Mexico and immigration made his relationship with the network untenable, and he appears to have permanently lost NBC as a platform for “The Apprentice” or any other program.

Last week, Univision said it would no longer air Mr. Trump’s pageants after his remarks. Mr. Trump suggested that he might take legal action for breach of contract and banned Univision executives from using his golf course in Miami.

By Monday, a Change.org petition urging NBC to end its relationship with Mr. Trump had garnered more than 200,000 signatures, adding to pressure on the network to end the relationship.

The show was once a hit for NBC, but its viewership has waned in recent years. In its first season in 2004, it gave NBC a much-needed ratings boost when the show averaged almost 21 million viewers, according to Nielsen. But the most recent season of “The Celebrity Apprentice” brought in 7.6 million viewers an episode, an improvement over each of the previous two seasons but significantly lower than in the first five seasons. The most recent season, which ended in February, was the first “Celebrity Apprentice” season since 2013.

Nevertheless, NBC said it would move forward with the show. It said the show was “licensed from Mark Burnett’s United Artists Media Group, and that relationship will continue.” The network did not say who would replace Mr. Trump as host.

Also Monday, Ora TV, a production company co-founded by the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú and the TV personality Larry King, canceled a program it was working on with some of Mr. Trump’s companies, Reuters reported.

Mr. Trump has brushed off criticism over his comments and has said his wealth gives him the ability to speak his mind freely without worrying about political backlash or the need to please donors. He said in an interview with CNN over the weekend that he was forgoing millions of dollars in business opportunities to pursue his run for president.

With the loss of his NBC platform, Mr. Trump’s presidential bid became more personally costly. However, at a news conference Monday in Chicago, he stood by his immigration comments and said NBC had been unhappy with him since he decided to run for president and step away from his show.

“I told NBC I could not change my stance,” Mr. Trump said, suggesting the network could face a lawsuit for violating their contract. “The fact is that my stance on immigration is correct.” Mr. Trump also derided the company over its handling of Brian Williams, the news anchor who was demoted after embellishing his reporting experiences.

“They will stand behind lying Brian Williams, but won’t stand behind people that tell it like it is, as unpleasant as that may be,” Mr. Trump said.

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com

It’s announcement day for Chris Christie. But can he win?

MSNBC

By Aliyah Frumin

June 30, 2015

It’s announcement day for Chris Christie. But can he win?

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is polling terribly in his home state. In the jam-packed 2016 Republican presidential field, he’s only pulling single digits. The scandal known as Bridgegate, which sprayed his entire administration with the stench of scandal, isn’t going away. And the loud buzz surrounding Christie running for president in the last election cycle? It’s nearly silent this time around.

But on Tuesday morning, Christie – who conservatives all but begged to run in 2012 – will try and change his fortunes and break away from underdog status when he announces his presidential bid at his former high school in Livingston.

What does a path to victory actually look like for Christie? Several involved in the campaign, including Ray Washburne, Christie’s finance chief, say it largely rests on three main tenants – holding town hall meetings (a format he does quite well in), eventually showing off his debate chops on the national stage, and putting forth concrete policy proposals.

“He’s laid pretty low in the last few months to get through the budget season. Now that he’s finished with that now, he can really get out on the road and really let people hear him and see him,” said Washburne.

“Chris has just a good of a shot as anybody else. There is no frontrunner.”

BONNIE KILBERG

Bonnie Kilberg, a prominent Republican donor and fundraiser who backs Christie, insisted “Chris has just a good of a shot as anybody else. There is no frontrunner. He has two overwhelming strengths, his ability to stake out strong policy positions and articulate them and his ability as a retail politician.”

If his recently revealed presidential campaign site with the slogan “telling it like it is” and a preview of his announcement video is any indication, Christie will bank on pitching  his personal – and bold—style on Tuesday.  But he may also try and strike a softer tone. In the preview video, the governor attempts to explain his in-your-face demeanor – a trait of his that has been criticized in the past.

He points to his Sicilian mother’s influence on his life. “I know if my mom were still alive, she would tell me, ‘I taught you that in a trusting relationship, you don’t hold anything back. And if you’re going to run for president of the United States and you’re going to ask these people for their vote, that is the single most trusting they can do as a citizen, is to give you their support. So you better tell them exactly what you’re thinking and exactly what you’re feeling,” Christie is seen telling a crowd at one of his famous town-hall meetings.

In recent months, Christie has laid out detailed policy proposals on education, entitlement reform, the economy and foreign policy – something he has pointed to as separating himself from the rest of the GOP pack. The governor has said he also intends to deliver remarks on immigration.

Although Gov. Christie will make his big announcement in his home state, he won’t be there for long. After his remarks in Livingston, the governor will head to Sandown, New Hampshire to hold a town hall meeting in the early evening. He’ll stick around in the first-in-the-nation primary state through July 4, holding an additional 10 events, including two additional town halls, retail meet and greets and an appearance in a 4th of July parade. New Hampshire is quickly emerging as a do-or-die state for Christie, a northeastern moderate who experts say would have trouble in other critical early voting states like Iowa and South Carolina.

Ben Dworkin, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said Christie could face a slew of challenges—including his record in New Jersey (where economic growth has been lackluster) and whether primary voters are willing to vote for someone who “while conservative is not the most conservative candidate.”

And then there’s the 2013 Bridgegate scandal, in which three former allies of the governor  have been charged in a plot to close lanes and snarl traffic on the George Washington Bridge, the nation’s busiest. Christie has denied any prior knowledge of the plot, although the scheme resulted in the governor’s popularity taking a hit. Plus, the federal trials for those three former allies are expected to begin this fall. “While voters in New Hampshire and Iowa won’t care about some bridge, it could be a problem because it’s a federal trial and more importantly makes Christie seem like a typical politician when his entire career has been based on being an atypical politician” said Dworkin.

“It’s tough to govern in a state when you’re not there.”

Despite the challenges, Christie supporters say he still has plenty of time on his side.

“My expectation is that there will be many, many more people for me to go to for donors,” said Kilberg. “Lots of people were waiting to see if he’s running. This expands the potential donor pool substantially.”

And Washburne said backers can expect that fundraising pleas will be coming their way shortly. “Now we can really get started,” he said.

Christie will make his plans official at Livingston High School in the township that he has long called home – and where he was school president and catcher of the baseball team. Although the school’s gym is expected to be filled with Christie supporters, outside the venue may be a different story.

Anthony Rosamilia, president of the Essex County Education Association, said the group will provide bus service for demonstrators to the school from Livingston Mall—and that so far, 1,000 people have signed up.

Democrats in New Jersey, meanwhile, are calling on Christie to step down as governor if he does run for president.

“It’s tough to govern in a state when you’re not there,” said John Curie, chairman of New Jersey Democratic State Committee on a conference call with reporters on Monday. Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto agreed. “He doesn’t have to legally, but I think it’s something that  should be considered,” adding it would “probably be in the best interest of the residents.”

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com

Chris Christie on the Issues [EXCERPT]

New York Times

By Gerry Mullany

June 30, 2015

Chris Christie on the Issues [EXCERPT]

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is announcing his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday. Known for his blunt, blustery demeanor, he has said his ability to win twice in a heavily Democratic state makes him an attractive candidate for the party in the 2016 general election. Here are his stands on a variety of important issues.

Immigration

Mr. Christie, unlike many of his Republican rivals, plays down the need for stricter border security. “Walls can be gotten over,” he said. “The reason people come here is to work.” He says illegal immigration will drop “if we clamp down on folks who are hiring people in this manner.” He had New Jersey join a lawsuit against Mr. Obama’s executive order seeking to shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation, but he says Republicans should work with the president to push such legislation in Congress. In 2014, he signed into law a measure letting illegal immigrants pay in-state college tuition rates if they have lived in New Jersey for three years and have graduated from a high school in the state.

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com