America
Jindal wouldn't say what he would do with illegal immigrants
By
Arun KumarWashington, July 31
Indian-American Republican
presidential candidate Bobby Jindal has declined to say what he would
do with the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants, including
about 300,000 Indians, living in the US.
"What we need from the
federal government is to secure the border", with Mexico, Louisiana
governor Jindal, who is trailing in national polls told CNN on Thursday.
The
US doesn't need an amnesty plan or a "comprehensive approach" to
dealing with the undocumented immigrant population living in the US, he
said.
Jindal, according to CNN, didn't directly answer whether he would support or rule out a path to "legal status".
He
insisted he would not discuss a plan for the millions of undocumented
immigrants living in the US until the US-Mexico border is secured.
"I
think the American people will be pragmatic and compassionate about the
people here. But I don't think they want that as part of the discussion
on securing border. We need to secure the border first," Jindal said,
when pressed on his plan.
Jindal insisted that previous efforts
to address illegal immigration have failed because politicians have
looked to remedy both border security and the status of undocumented
immigrants living in the country at the same time.
Jindal's
comments come one day after Republican frontrunner Donald Trump told CNN
that he would support a path to "legal status" for undocumented
immigrants living in the US, but only after they leave the country and
return through what Trump described as an "expedited process".
As
for the details of Jindal's immigration plan that he would share,
Jindal said the US needed a "higher wall" at the border and more
resources to stop people from crossing into the US illegally.
Jindal
said that he wanted to make legal immigration into the US easier,
insisting that the immigration of individuals willing to assimilate and
learn English would "make our country stronger".
One week after a
gunman killed two people in a Lafayette theatre in his state, Jindal
also told CNN that people should be allowed to carry guns anywhere in
public, including movie theatres.
"I'm a big believer that where
you are legally allowed to be, you should be able to have your Second
Amendment rights as well," he was quoted as saying.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])