The Republicans’ Spanish-language response to President Obama’s State of the Union offered a starkly different message on immigration than the English-language one, and included a message that says the GOP supports finding a “permanent and human solution” to immigrants who “live in the shadows.”
The English-language response to Obama’s speech was delivered by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and the Spanish-language response was delivered by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla.
But the two speeches diverged from each other on the subject of immigration. For example, Haley said that while immigrants should feel welcome in the U.S., “that does not mean we just flat out open our borders. We can’t do that.”
She also said the U.S. “cannot continue to allow immigrants to come here illegally.”
But Diaz-Balart didn’t say any of that, and instead said in the same place, “it’s obvious that our immigration system needs to be reformed. The current system puts our national security at risk and is an obstacle for our economy.”
And while Haley said the U.S. needs to stop illegal immigration, Diaz-Balart didn’t say that, and instead said Republicans need to “offer a permanent and human solution to those who live in the shadows.”
Those differences were first reported by the Miami Herald.
The difference is significant, as many Republicans support a much tougher line on border enforcement, and oppose efforts to create a legal pathway to citizenship or even legal status for illegal immigrants. At the same time, Republicans have feared that a strong stance against illegal immigrants could lose them votes.
In an interview with that paper, Diaz-Balart admitted the changes, and said he was never asked to translate Haley’s remarks directly.
“They didn’t ask me to do a translation, because that’s not what I do,” Diaz-Balart said. “Are there some differences? Of course … The Republican Party has become the majority in the House and Senate, which means you’re going to have diversity.”
Joana Suleiman contributed to this report.
