Scott Walker’s campaign is pushing back against a Wall Street Journal report that Walker softened his position on immigration reform during a New Hampshire GOP dinner this month.
According to the report, Walker proposed a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants currently in the country during his remarks to Granite State Republicans at a dinner March 13.
“He said no to citizenship now, but later they could get it,” Bill Greiner, an owner of the restaurant where the event was held, told the Wall Street Journal.
If Walker indeed floated such a proposal, it would mark a major departure from the hard-line stance he has recently taken on immigration. But Walker’s campaign took issue with this version of events, saying the governor’s “position has not changed” on immigration reform.
“We strongly dispute this account. Governor Walker has been very clear that he does not support amnesty and believes that border security must be established and the rule of law must be followed,” Walker’s spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski said. “His position has not changed, he does not support citizenship for illegal immigrants, and this story line is false.”
The campaign referred further questions to New Hampshire Republican Party chairwoman Jennifer Horn, who organized the dinner. But Horn did not respond to a request for comment.
Although Walker has recently trumpeted a no-amnesty approach to immigration reform that also puts a heavy emphasis on securing the country’s borders, he formerly supported a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. In 2013, Walker said such a proposal “makes sense.”
“My view has changed,” Walker said during an interview on Fox News this month. “I’m flat out saying it.”
