Bobby Jindal: US Should Insist Immigrants ‘Adopt Our Values’ (VIDEO)

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Republican presidential candidate and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday that the United States should “insist” legal immigrants “adopt our values.”

ABC host Martha Raddatz asked Jindal if he, born to legal immigrant parents, was troubled by the “derogatory things” other GOP candidates have said.

The term “anchor babies” to refer to children who are automatically granted citizenship despite the citizenship status of their parents has been used by some presidential candidates, including Donald Trump and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Jindal himself said last week that he was also “happy to use” the term.

On Sunday, Jindal told Raddatz that his parents have never taken the United States for granted.

“And I think this election is largely about the idea — the idea of America is slipping away in front of us. When it comes to immigration policy, what I’ve experienced and seen is that a smart immigration policy makes our country stronger; a dumb one makes us weaker. We’ve got a dumb one today,” Jindal said.

“Yes, we need to secure our border. Stop talking about it,” he continued. “I think we need to insist that folks who come here come here legally, learn English, adopt our values, roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

Raddatz interrupted Jindal and asked him to clarify what the difference was between “American values” and those of immigrants.

“Look, what I worry about is you look to Europe, the contrast is — you’ve got second, third generation immigrants that don’t consider themselves part of those societies, those cultures,” Jindal said. “We in our country shouldn’t be giving freedoms to people who want to undermine the freedom for other people. I think we need to move away from hyphenated Americans. We’re not African-Americans or Asian-Americans, Indian-Americans, rich or poor Americans: we’re all Americans.”

Watch the news program:

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for ajm ajm says:

    “Yes, we need to secure our border. Stop talking about it,” he continued. “I think we need to insist that folks who come here come here legally, learn English, adopt our values, roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

    Word salad worth of Caribou Barbie.

    How many immigrants does it take to roll up our sleeves?

  2. My values or your values, Bobby? (Gotta ask, 'cause they sure as hell ain’t the same thing.)

  3. Avatar for sooner sooner says:

    I was wondering the same. I don’t need an immigrant to roll up my sleeves for me. But then I’m not a Republican so I don’t need an undocumented butler.

  4. Avatar for mantan mantan says:

    Ug, I turned it off and woke up to an old ‘Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ episode, it was awful but better than watching Jindal.

  5. LOL. I actually kind like the old Man from U.N.C.L.E. episodes. It’s classic 60s spy TV, and with a Russian agent as the co-star during that time?? That always makes me grin.

    But then, I spend my Saturday nights live tweeting Svengoolie horror flicks. :stuck_out_tongue:

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

152 more replies

Participants

Avatar for anniew Avatar for pluckyinky Avatar for rfscalf Avatar for overreach_this Avatar for tickytacky1 Avatar for jw1 Avatar for srfromgr Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for chammy Avatar for jimtoday Avatar for labman57 Avatar for jinx_tpm Avatar for mantan Avatar for pshipkey Avatar for captaindan Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for borisjimbo Avatar for emjayay Avatar for gr Avatar for pippenpippen Avatar for masterlever Avatar for darrtown Avatar for benthere Avatar for briannaamore

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: