GOP Candidate Carly Fiorina Opposes Path to Citizenship, Says 'Maybe' to Legal Status
Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina further clarified her stance on immigration reform Monday in a move that could further alienate the Latino voting bloc.
The GOP candidate and former Hewlett Packard CEO appeared on "Morning Joe" Monday morning and spoke with hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, who asked her about her stance on immigration.
Following the similar rhetoric of most of her fellow Republican contenders, Fiorina expressed her opposition to what immigration activists have been clamoring for: comprehensive reform.
She argued the border must be secured, saying neither party had successfully done it. Scarborough continued to press her on immigration, asking about a path to citizenship, which has been embraced by all Democratic candidates.
"In my view, we also have to fix the illegal immigration system, which has been broken for about 25 years now. No one's -- everyone talks about comprehensive solutions but nobody starts with the basics," she said. "My own view is, if you have come here illegally and stayed here illegally, that you don't get a path to citizenship."
Fiorina continued stating her position on the topic, arguing that the children of undocumented immigrants "maybe can become citizens" and said legal status can be a possibility.
"But my own view is it isn't fair to say to people who have played by the rules -- and it takes a long time to play about it rules -- that, you know, it just doesn't matter," Fiorina explained.
However, one other Republican candidate has spoken out against immigration policies detrimental to the GOP's future. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has said advocating certain policies on immigration could spell defeat for Republicans.
A Gallup poll from 2014 showed 46 percent of Americans favored securing the borders while 51 favored resolving the immigration problem. Another poll conducted by Pew Research and released this month showed an overwhelming support for granting undocumented immigrants in the country some sort of legal status, around 72 percent.
While the numbers show Republicans favor deportation, Democrats and Independents support some sort of legal status.
According to a Forbes article from 2013, the border fence in 2007 would have cost taxpayers $49 billion dollars to finish and would take 25 years.
Watch the interview:
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