Boehner does not have a moderate position on immigration.
Steve King and Jeff Sessions are the moderates.
Ryan and Boehner comes from a cheap labor extremist position.
Ryan and Boehner comes from a cheap labor extremist position.
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I think that is the most favorable spin you can put on their position and its motivation (and it is not very favorable to begin with).
There is nothing Xenophobic about the immigration views of Rep. Steve King or Sen. Jeff Sessions.
In fact, most of what they advocate is already policy in countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand, all countries with far more open space than ours.
Then there is Japan-- no set limit on H1B visa equivalents, just a requirement that the foreign worker be paid a minimum 10% premium over the going industry wage. I was such a worker for 14 years and rather than feeling resentment to my host country for "exploiting" me, I feel gratitude for the opportunities they offered.
Said policy also had the effect of raising the wage scale for the entire industry and attracting more Japanese into the field.
Had I stayed long enough to become a voting citizen, I sure wouldn't have voted for the politicians who advocated (a)giving more free stuff away to bring in more immigrants and (b)undermining the mainstream culture which gave me 14 years of opportunity.