Jeb Bush: U.S. Economy Needs ‘More Fertile’ Immigrants

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, right, speaks to reporters after an education rally at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), a longtime immigration reform advocate, said Friday that because immigrants are “more fertile” they are a crucial source of labor for the United States.

“Immigrants create far more businesses than native-born Americans,” Bush said at a Faith and Freedom Coalition conference, as quoted by the Washington Post. “Immigrants are more fertile, and they love families, and they have more intact families, and they bring a younger population. Immigrants create an engine of economic prosperity.”

Bush was criticized for seemingly flip-flopping on support for a path to citizenship after he co-authored a book, “Immigration Wars: Forging An American Solution,” but ultimately supported immigration reform legislation being hammered out in Congress.

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