Trump Labor Secretary Andy Puzder wants mass legalization, guest workers, anti-American DREAM Act; ally of Norquist & Bloomberg

Donald Trump has nominated Andy Puzder to head his Department of Labor. Puzder is the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which runs Carl's Jr and Hardees, and he's very bad on immigration.

Puzder supports mass immigration, he wants to legalize millions of illegal aliens, he wants guest worker programs, he supports the anti-American DREAM Act, and he joined with Grover Norquist and Michael Bloomberg in pushing his loose borders agenda.

Here are some of Puzder's highlights, bolding and links added:

1. February 17, 2015: "Top National Republican Donors Call for Immigration Reform", press release (peekURL.com/zLmxsb3) from "Partnership for a New American Economy", a Mike Bloomberg group:

Today, Republican donors Spencer Zwick, Mike Fernandez, and Andrew Puzder joined Grover Norquist to call for action on immigration reform.

Zwick, Fernandez, and Puzder have been active in the Republican Party as donors and fundraisers. Zwick, who was recently described in the press as "the architect of Romney's groundbreaking 2012 fundraising operation," served as National Finance Chairman in Romney's 2012 presidential campaign. Puzder served as an economic advisor to the Romney campaign. Fernandez has been a key supporter of former Florida governor Jeb Bush. In November last year, they joined more than 100 other Republican donors in a letter to Republican members of Congress that called for the newly-elected Republican majorities to take action on immigration reform.

..."Fixing our broken immigration system is the right thing to do," said Andrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, and Romney for President Economic Advisor. "America should be a destination for hard-working immigrants from all over the world. Our economy will benefit from that. It is time for Republicans in Congress to be leaders on this issue, secure our borders and implement conservative, free-market solutions for our immigration system."

"Our broken immigration system is one of the most serious problems facing our country, as it hinders economic opportunities across America," said Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform. "Like most Americans, these Republican leaders support substantive immigration reform. Passing reform legislation will not only be good for our economy and increase American national security, it is also essential for Congressional Republicans to show voters that they are ready to lead on this important issue. Presidential hopefuls should also be embracing this important issue and supporting meaningful reform."

2. November 20, 2013, Puzder OpEd "Immigration reform needed for global competitiveness" (appeared in San Diego Union Tribune, peekURL.com/zBXuQQG):

...Clearly, it's time to modernize our immigration system so we can effectively compete in a global economy. After all, strengthening America's competitive advantage should be an overriding concern for those who serve us in office.

As CEO of CKE Restaurants, I have firsthand knowledge of the vital role immigrants play in growing U.S. businesses, spurring innovation and creating jobs. Our broken immigration system hurts individual businesses, like ours, that create jobs and thrive on economic growth. While each side in this debate has legitimate points and sincerely held beliefs, my hope is that inaction, fear mongering and political posturing will give way to rational compromise.

Two widely respected Southern California Congressmen, Darrell Issa and Duncan Hunter, are key voices on immigration reform proposals. I'm confident they will guide immigration reform to a successful resolution.

Congressman Issa points to several substantive changes needed to improve current immigration laws. He supports stronger border security and the E-Verify program that helps employers verify the immigration status of potential employees. He also supports new programs such as the obviously sensible proposal to increase visas for high-skilled workers. That kind of practical thinking will better enable our nation to meet its workforce needs, stay competitive and create jobs for millions of Americans.

Likewise, Congressman Hunter supports stricter border control and co-sponsored a bill to implement the E-Verify program.

In California, the economic benefits of Congress passing comprehensive immigration reform are immense. A little more than a decade ago, the Golden State was the world's fifth-largest economy. Today, we've declined to eighth-largest.

Immigration reform alone cannot resolve California's economic woes, but preserving the status quo all but guarantees further decline.

California's agricultural industry would greatly benefit from an easy and affordable temporary worker visa program. A Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE) survey shows that for every H-2A worker visa, more than three additional jobs were created or preserved for U.S.-born workers.

The Dream Act would provide conditional permanent residency to certain immigrants who arrived in the United States as minors and graduate from U.S. high schools. A PNAE study estimates that the 550,000 people the Dream Act would affect in California could add nearly $98 billion to the state's economy and create more than 384,000 jobs in the next 20 years.

A recent study by the National Venture Capital Association found that a third of venture-backed companies that went public since 2006 had at least one immigrant founder, including companies such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Zipcar and Tesla. The victorious conquests of tomorrow - whether we're building new industries, creating revolutionary products, or erecting cities of the future - will be far more difficult if we fail to address immigration reform in a reasonable and compassionate manner.

We have every right to protect our borders, and any rational immigration policy has to address effective border control. But this shouldn't blind us to the immigration debate's economic issues. There is a difference between our nation's legitimate concerns with respect to terrorists, drug dealers and smugglers, on one hand, and, on the other, people who want work as farm laborers in California. Our policies should reflect the reality of those differences.

I encourage Congress to pass legislation that creates a path, perhaps an arduous one, to a form of legal status for undocumented immigrants. I do this for two reasons. First, as a nation, we're never going to deport more than 10 million people with families, friends, jobs and homes in our communities. A policy requiring something that will never happen is a useless policy. Second, it recognizes that for years our government sent a mixed message to prospective immigrants by poorly enforcing our immigration laws. It was as if the government was holding up a stop sign with one hand while waving people in with the other. The last 30 years have demonstrated that, if there are jobs in America, people will come here for those jobs by any means available. Providing a rational and enforceable means for immigrants to do so legally benefits everyone...

3. June 7, 2015, Puzder OpEd "Ending the Republican Drama About Immigration/Beating each other up only helps Democrats. Better to settle on basic principles. Here are a few." (in Wall Street Journal, peekURL.com/zeuUPgQ):

[...Sovereignty, Border security, Enforcing our laws..]

โ€ข Legal immigration policies should support economic growth. If current quotas are bringing in enough talent, let's keep them. If more immigration or less red tape will boost the economy, let's try that. Guest-worker visas should ebb and flow with the economy. Legal immigration should focus more on what workers can contribute to the economy, as is the case in most other nations, and less on distant familial relationships.

The best way to protect American workers is to generate economic growth. This is not synonymous with aggressively restricting immigration. Most studies conclude that immigration contributes to economic growth as well as innovation, and research and development. The American Enterprise Institute found in 2011 that "temporary foreign workers - both skilled and less skilled - boost U.S. employment" and that immigrants with advanced degrees working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields "boost employment for U.S. citizens." Every Republican who aspires to the presidency should acknowledge that immigrants of all skill sets can benefit the economy.

โ€ข Addressing the illegal population. The next president will need to work with Congress to establish consequences for violating our laws that are harsh enough to be meaningful but also reasonable. But with some 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally, every candidate should support a path to legal status - short of citizenship - for illegal immigrants willing to accept responsibility for their actions and take the consequences.

Such consequences could include passing a background check, paying a fine, demonstrating the ability to be independent of welfare, engaging in community or military service, learning English and taking an American civics course. Every option should be on the table, except amnesty, which forgives illegal conduct. It isn't amnesty if immigrants admit wrongdoing and accept punishment.

โ€ข Citizenship. American citizenship is a privilege, not a right. Whether candidates support requiring people who are here illegally to return to their home countries to become citizens, or whether they propose allowing immigrants to remain in the U.S. and go through an arduous naturalization process, the privilege of citizenship is something worth protecting...