Jeb Bush on Multiculturalism: 'It's the Wrong Approach'
Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush weighed in on the idea of multiculturalism at an Iowa diner on Tuesday, stating that it is "the wrong approach."
When a Bush supporter, who had helped with immigration and refugee programs, asked the former Florida governor about his "plans" on incorporating them into American society, he said they should all come together.
"We should not have a multicultural society, we ought to have America," Bush said. "It's the set of values that we share that defines our national identity, not race or ethnicity or where you're from."
The former governor went on to say that refugees and immigrants should be involved in their communities, learn common language and focus on education to get ahead.
"When you create pockets of isolation -- and in some cases the assimilation process is retarded because it's slowed down -- it's wrong. It limits peoples' aspirations," he said. "If you're stuck in a community and are not fully engaged in a larger community, you're not going to get the opportunities and that's not good."
Bush then said that America needs "to get back to" teaching immigrants English and keeping them as part of a whole community.
The attendee asked him if he supports funding programs that would help refugees and immigrants integrate into American society and he said, "Of course."
"The federal government ought to let refugees in and they have to settle in a community. There's certainly more refugees coming," he said. "That's the responsibility of the federal government and sometimes they don't fulfill it."
Bush is known to have the more moderate views on immigration compared to other GOP candidates he is up against. The former governor urges for a pathway to legalization, not citizenship, for nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants currently on American soil. He said allowing immigrants to work on the books will drive the economy.
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