Issa Backs Path to Citizenship

"House lawmakers struggling to gain support for a pathway to citizenship for [unauthorized] immigrants might have found an unlikely ally: Republican Rep. Darrell Issa.  The California conservative told RCP that providing a citizenship option in new legislation is what President Lincoln would have wanted.  “I think all of us Republicans know that we don’t want a class of residents that will never be offered an opportunity for citizenship,” he said.  “We’re the party of Lincoln, and the party of Lincoln would not accept people living in our country and not being citizens, or not being given the opportunity to become citizens.  As we talk about who should remain and who should go, I think ultimately we have to be reasonable and realize we don’t want to have second-class citizens in our country,” he told RCP.  “If someone’s a guest worker or a temporary resident, that’s fine. But if somebody’s going to spend the rest of their life in this country, I believe that we need to have a clear pathway to citizenship, and we shouldn’t hide that.”" - Caitlin Huey-Burns, Feb. 6, 2013.  [And in case you are wondering why...]