Immigration will be a major issue in the 2016 presidential campaigns.  As the debate continues over border security and paths to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in this country, the issue has made it into campaign speeches given by the candidates.

In a recent campaign appearance in Las Vegas, former New York senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) told attendees, essentially, that if they wanted action on immigration, they shouldn't turn to any of the Republican presidential candidates for support. Clinton said this:

"Not a single Republican candidate, announced or potential, is clearly and consistently supporting a path to citizenship. Not one."

PolitiFact Florida looked into Clinton's claim and rated it MOSTLY FALSE. Reporter Joshua Gillin says Clinton's absolute statement leaves little room for interpretation.

"We got a list together of the announced and presidential candidates on the Republican side," Gillin said. "We took a look at their positions, and we actually found that one candidate, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R, South Carolina), has consistently shown that he supports a very rigorous path to citizenship.  Graham has worked on legislation relating to this, and he supports things like work requirements and learning of the English language for any immigrant who wants to become a U.S. citizen."

Gillin notes that Graham is really the only candidate who's position is different among Republicans.

"The rest of the presidential contenders, both declared and potential, have all waffled that they are against a path to citizenship," Gillin said. "Clinton is wrong when she says 'not one,' but there is definitely no rush among Republican candidates to reverse their current positions."

PolitiFact rates Clinton's statement about Republican support for a path to citizenship for immigrants as MOSTLY FALSE.

 

SOURCES: No Republican support for path to citizenship?