Government Security News July 2016 Digital Edition

What you should know about Mike Pence’s
harsh policy record on immigrants and refugees
By Wendy Felix,
American Immigration Council
In Mike Pence, Republican Presidential
candidate Donald Trump
has found a kindred spirit in his crusade
against immigrants. Trump’s
get tough approach to immigration
has been no secret and reports of the
Republican’s official 2016 platform
note that it includes support for a
border wall and proposing mandatory
prison sentences for deportees
who return to the United States.
They also change the term “illegal
immigrants” to “illegal aliens” in the
platform itself—a highly-offensive
term.
Like Trump, Pence takes a harsh,
enforcement-centric approach to
immigration. Pence’s record shows
he used his time in Congress and
as the Governor of Indiana to pursue
extreme and punitive immigration
policies earning him a 100
percent approval rating by the antiimmigration
group, Federation for
American Immigration Reform.
During his term in the U.S. House
of Representatives, Pence voted yes
on H.R. 3722, a 2004 bill that would
“prohibit Federal reimbursement of
hospital-provided emergency
and certain transportation
services to undocumented
aliens” and
allow hospitals to refuse
care to undocumented individuals
if they could be
sent to hospitals in their
home country.
In 2006, he unveiled a
plan which he described Mike Pence, former Governor of Indiana
as “no amnesty immigration
reform” which sought to seal and Deferred Action for Parents of
the U.S. border with Mexico, set up Americans and Lawful Permanent
a limited guest-worker program, Residents (DAPA). He then praised
force all undocumented immigrants the non-decision issued by the Supreme
Court on expanded DACA
to “self-deport” and apply for reentry
from their home countries, and and DAPA, which leaves 4-5 million
end birthright citizenship.
undocumented immigrants in limbo
as the challenge to the initiatives
In 2007, he co-sponsored an English-only
bill.
continue in a lower court.
Later, as governor of Indiana, While Pence’s so-called “reform”
Pence ordered state agencies not to bill in Congress went nowhere and
assist in the resettlement of Syrian his efforts to shut out refugees also
refugees, which resulted in a lawsuit
being brought against him by tion policy positions demonstrate
failed miserably, his past immigra-
the American Civil Liberties Union an impractical and uncharitable
which Pence lost.
approach toward immigrants and
As governor, Pence also signed Indiana
on to the Texas lawsuit chal-
well with candidate Trump’s.
refugees, but one that seems to align
lenging expanded Deferred Action Despite the fact that anti-immifor
Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
More on page 44
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Photo: Gage Skidmore