Protesters don’t deter Jindal’s immigration message
6 hours ago • By Erin Murphy
DES MOINES | With protesters chanting, Bobby Jindal hammered home his stance against illegal immigration.
Jindal, a Republican presidential candidate and Louisiana governor, spoke directly to the immigration reform advocates in the Iowa State Fair crowd on Saturday when he said people who want to come to America should do so legally, just as his parents did.
“Learn to speak English, adopt our values, roll up your sleeves and get to work,” Jindal said to the protesters during his remarks Saturday at The Des Moines Register Political Soapbox.
Whether by design or because of the protesters in the crowd, Jindal spent much of his 20 allotted minutes on the soapbox addressing immigration. He said the U.S. must first secure its borders, and that “immigration without assimilation is invasion.”
He also suggested government officials in sanctuary cities should be held accountable to the law.
Jindal did not specifically address how to handle the millions already living in the country illegally.
Jindal said protesters like the ones in the State Fair crowd on Saturday are paid for by “big business special interests.”
“The big business interests can pay for protesters. They want to censor free speech,” Jindal said. “The big business interests can pay for as many banners as they want.”
He said later, again looking toward the protesters, “If you don’t want to be an American, don’t come here. Nobody is forcing them to come here in the first place.”
Jindal’s position on immigration appeals to Pat McFarland, of Guthrie Center, who was in Saturday’s crowd.
McFarland said she is still deciding between multiple GOP candidates — including Jindal, Mike Huckabee, Marco Rubio and a few others — but said she agreed with Jindal’s remarks on the soapbox stage.
McFarland said she works with many Hispanic people, some of whom she suspects are living in the country illegally. She said she supports Jindal’s position on immigration.
“I liked what he had to say,” McFarland said. “I agreed with him whole-heartedly.”
Jindal also said he believes Republicans should select a conservative candidate from the expansive primary field. He slipped in a few jabs at some of his primary competitors, saying his “daddy” was not president (Jeb Bush is the son of former president George H.W. Bush) and he doesn’t have a reality TV show (as did Donald Trump).
“Conservatism is not dead in America. It is simply dead in Washington, D.C.,” Jindal said.
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