WASHINGTON â€" In a speech before the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, Senator Rand Paul is expected to lay out his position on immigration, including a pathway to citizenship contingent on border security for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in the country.
“If you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you,†Mr. Paul, Republican of Kentucky, is expected to say, according to excerpts of his speech.
Mr. Paul, who is often mentioned as a possible 2016 presidential candidate, has previously explained his views on a comprehensive immigration overhaul, including in a February op-ed in The Washington Times, “From Illegals to Taxpayers: Make Path to Citizenship Conditioned on Border Security.â€
In his op-ed, Mr. Paul made clear that he would offer a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, but only after the border was secured â€" and after a report on the state of the border by the Government Accountability Office had been presented to, and voted on, by Congress.
“After ensuring border security, I then would normalize the status of 11 million undocumented citizens so they can join the work force and pay taxes,†Mr. Paul wrote. “I would normalize them at a rate of about two million per year.â€
Mr. Paul’s speech comes a day after the Republican National Committee released a report calling on the Republican Party to embrace comprehensive immigration reform. The report left vague just what such “comprehensive†reform would include.
“Immigration reform will not occur until conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution,†Mr. Paul will say, according to the excerpts. “I am here today to begin that conversation.â€
After the 2012 presidential election, in which Mitt Romney lost the Hispanic vote by a wide margin, Republicans have engaged in extensive soul-searching, trying to find to a way to win back â€" or, at the very least, not further alienate â€" Hispanic voters.
A bipartisan group of eight senators is working toward introducing comprehensive immigration legislation that would include a path to citizenship. Similar to Mr. Paul’s plan, the pathway would be contingent on first securing the country’s borders.
A parallel effort is occurring in the House, though the group has yet to make any formal announcements regarding its progress, and it is unclear whether the House plan would include a full path to citizenship, or simply one to some form of legalization.
Though Mr. Paul, a Tea Party favorite and fierce civil libertarian, is not part of the Senate group of eight, his involvement in the immigration effort could give cover to some fellow Tea Party and conservative members, who represent solidly red districts and fear a primary challenge but are willing to get on board with some sort of immigration overhaul.
