Brownback Supports Senate Immigration Deal

Senator Sam Brownback joined Senator McCain and voiced support for the Senate's immigration deal during the third GOP presidential debate:

The dark-horse conservative said, "It's better than not doing anything."

With Brownback, Senators support the senate immigration deal by 16 to 6.

Here is the complete exchange from the transcript:

MR. BLITZER: [. . .] Senator Brownback, what do you say about this notion of a pathway towards citizenship for these 12 million illegal immigrants who are in the country right now? Under what circumstances would you let them begin that path?

SEN. BROWNBACK: I don’t think you create any new paths to citizenship. But I also think you allow them to be able to use paths they would currently qualify for, and to be able to get in the back of the line. And that’s part of leadership and getting something resolved.

I think — you know, we can go on a lot of slogans here. And I’ve been around this issue for a while. I was in Congress in 1994, elected then. We did the first immigration bill I was involved in then, in 1996. You know what, that was as enforcement-only bill in 1996, and we had 7 million undocumented in the country then. We’re at 12 (million) to 20 million now.

The point of saying that — and my colleagues and people up here, everybody is concerned that we get something done and get something right. I think if you do exterior enforcement, border enforcement, you do aggressive interior enforcement, and then you work on a comprehensive solution interior, that’s something that a lot of people are going to be upset with, but that can work and move us forward. And it’s better than not doing anything.

MR. BLITZER: Thank you. So you support this pending compromise legislation?

SEN. BROWNBACK: If we can hold together those things in it, those things have to be in it.

MR. BLITZER: So with — you’re with — you’re with Senator McCain?

SEN. BROWNBACK: If those things are in it.