Immigration — both legal and illegal — is causing many of the country’s economic woes, former Sen. Rick Santorum said Sunday.
“The reason you’re seeing wages dropping is because we have surging immigration,” Santorum told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“The overwhelming majority” of immigrants “are folks who are lower-skilled or unskilled,” the Pennsylvania Republican said. “We’re bringing people in who will compete against a lot of Americans.”
His remarks echoed a speech he delivered Saturday at the Iowa Freedom Summit, where he sought to stake out territory in an already crowded field of potential presidential candidates.
Debate over immigration in the U.S. has increased in recent weeks after President Obama announced an executive action that would halt possible deportations for millions of immigrants who are here illegally.
When asked why he isn’t mentioned among 2016 frontrunners, Santorum joked, “Why don’t you ask the reporters?”
Santorum avoided saying whether he would have voted for a congressional measure passed this week that stated climate change is not a hoax.
While he said the climate is warming, he said he would not vote for legislation that took concrete steps to address the change.
“Is there really anything we can do about it?” Santorum asked. “Clearly, no.”
“Why would you do something with people admitting that even if we do something, it won’t have an impact?”
