Carson on Immigration: ‘My Plan Is Not Amnesty’

Retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson said Wednesday at the GOP presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., that his immigration plan is “not amnesty,” because the illegal immigrants who will be allowed to stay in the U.S. as guest workers don’t have the privileges of U.S. citizens.

“Senator [Ted] Cruz describes plans such as yours as amnesty. Why is your plan not amnesty?” CNN’s Jake Tapper asked.

“My plan is not amnesty for a number of reasons. Number one, you know, I've talked to farmers, and they said they cannot hire Americans to do the kind of job that I'm talking about, and the second reason is because the individuals who register as guest workers, they don't get to vote. They are not American citizens, and they don't get the rights and privileges of American citizens. So that's key,” said Carson.

“Those who are here, you know, we have to recognize that we can't just round them up, but we can give them an opportunity to register. I would give them a six-month period, and if they register and they have a pristine record, they haven't been causing problems, I would give them an opportunity to become guest workers, not citizens, not voting people, not people who get goodies,” Carson said at the time.

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