National Journal
By Claire Foran
August 20, 2015
Jeb
Bush defended calling children of illegal immigrants born in the United
States "anchor babies," while also attempting to distance himself from
the controversial expression
during a tense exchange with reporters in New Hampshire on Thursday.
When
asked if he regretted using the term, which is considered highly
offensive by many, during a radio interview, Bush quickly went on the
defensive: "No, I don't regret
it."
But
then he appeared to second-guess himself, asking the reporter: "Do you
have a better term? You give me a better term and I'll use it. I'm
serious." A few minutes later,
the 2016 Republican contender attempted to clarify his use of the term:
"Here's the deal, what I said was it's commonly referred to that.
That's what I said. I didn't use it as my own language."
The
exchange highlights the political tightrope that contenders now must
walk as they face pressure from conservatives and Donald Trump to take a
hard-line on illegal
immigration while the Republican establishment works to win favor with
Hispanics and minority voters ahead of the presidential election.
Trump
has forced the GOP field to answer for an immigration platform that he
debuted over the weekend which, among a wide array of policy
prescriptions, calls for an end
to birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants.
While
some conservative Republicans, such as Scott Walker and Ted Cruz, have
been quick to praise many elements of Trump's platform, Bush has made
clear that he does not
endorse many of Trump's ideas and has been quick to defend birthright citizenship as a constitutional right.
"You
want to get to the policy, for a second? I think that people born in
this country oughta be American citizens," Bush said Thursday.
He
also criticized what he called "a tidal wave of accusations or
bombastic talk," saying that "this whole immigration debate is hurtful
for a lot of people." Bush added:
"I think we need to tone down the rhetoric a little."
But
his use of the term anchor babies, a phrase Trump has been quick to
throw out into the debate, drew fierce criticism from the Left.
2016
Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton was quick to tweet a rebuke
Thursday, following a similar one after Bush said it Wednesday.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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