Two Candidates Campaigning in Iowa Tout Their Immigration Plans

(Radio Iowa) Republican presidential candidates Tim Scott and Asa Hutchinson have used appearances at the Iowa State Fair to tout widely different proposals to deal with immigration issues. Scott visited a border crossing at Yuma, Arizona, earlier this month.

“The first thing we have to do is use common sense and finish the border wall,” Scott said. Scott says as president he’d declare fentanyl a public health emergency in the U-S and have Border Patrol agents turn away all migrants. In addition, Scott would restore a Trump Administration policy called “Remain in Mexico.” It means all asylum seekers would be required to wait in Mexico for the U-S court hearing on their asylum application.

“To stem the tide of 6 million illegal immigrants crossing our southern border,” Scott said. “We can do that on day one of my administration.” Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson was in charge of border security during the George W. Bush Administration. He says the U-S has to partner with Mexico’s government to go after the drug cartels.

“President Obrador has given a green light to the cartels,” Hutchinson said. “That has to change. We have to use our economic pressure to make that change.” Hutchinson is also proposing what he describes as a state-based program for work visas.

“If you in Iowa say you need health care workers or that you need to have agricultural workers…you want to concentrate on the biotech arena, you can say this is our priority,” Hutchinson says. “We need to have a visa program that would bring that kind of talent or workforce into Iowa.” The federal government currently grants work visas to immigrants and most visas are the result of a business sponsoring a worker seeking a visa. Hutchinson says there’d still be a federal role in security screening under this proposal, but states could be a partner to determine the number of visas they need and for what occupations.