Discussion on Immigration Policy and Politics

You know, sir, an elephant in the room, if you will,

is that you are a sitting GOP Republican governor.

And typically, members of your party do not disagree

with President Trump on many issues, but especially on immigration.

Why do you feel so strongly about this?

I think history tells us that this country was built with immigrants.

My family came here in the 1840s,

escaping the famine in Ireland, and my great-great-grandfather came to Yellow

Springs and worked on the railroad, building the railroad at the time.

There's always been a blend of people who are native to Ohio,

have been here for generations, but also people who come in.

I think that this is a great opportunity,

frankly, for President Trump.

He has done a phenomenal job,

his administration has done a phenomenal job,

in taking care of a huge problem,

and that problem was the southern border.

The southern border is virtually now sealed. It's what we wanted,

it's what people expected him to do and what he's been able to do.

The fact that the border has not been sealed in the past,

and there's been a huge problem,

has caused this country not to be able to have a debate about legal immigration.

I think that the President has the opportunity to turn this and to say,

look, it's now time, we've got our borders sealed,

it's now time to have a discussion with the Congress and the American people.

Who do we need in this country?

Who is in our economic interest to have in this country?

I'll give you one statistic.

In Ohio, I think 22 or 23 percent of our physicians are foreign born.

Our STEM workers,

a large number of them are foreign born.

These are just facts, and a good debate will bring that out.

We need to develop an immigration policy that is in the interest of the United States.