Scott Walker, a Republican presidential hopeful and the current governor of Wisconsin, has apparently demonstrated his support for the idea of giving undocumented immigrants a path to US citizenship at a private dinner in New Hampshire, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Sources in attendance at the dinner, which was held on March 13th, apparently claim that Walker expressed the view that undocumented immigrants should not get preferential treatment but should still be able to become citizens eventually, while also allegedly making fun of the comment from former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney that undocumented immigrants should be willing to “self-deport”. If the reports are accurate, it would seem to be yet another change of heart on immigration reform from Walker, as he originally supported offering undocumented immigrants citizenship but recently claimed that he had changed his views.
Walker’s spokeswoman claims that the governor is still “opposed to amnesty” but would not address the report relating to the private dinner, which was organized by the New Hampshire Republican Party. Immigration reform is a highly contentious subject for many in the party and is expected to play a key role in the 2016 primaries as the decision is made about who to choose as the new presidential candidate.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio and former governor Jeb Bush have both supported immigration reform, while the likes of Texas Senator Ted Cruz have made no secret of their opposition.