Move Over Rubio: Is Christie The New Immigration Flip-Flopper?

Move Over Rubio: Is Christie The New Immigration Flip-Flopper?

On Tuesday, The Daily Beast‘s Dean Obeidallah wrote about Governor Chris Christie’s upcoming Catch-22 on immigration. The New Jersey Tuition Equality Act, which would provide in-state tuition to the children of undocumented immigrants, passed the New Jersey Senate on Monday and will soon pass the Assembly. 

The question is: Will Christie sign the bill into law? Will he side with the Tea Partiers opposed to taxpayers subsidizing the education of undocumented immigrants’ children, or go with his newfound ‘compassion’ on this issue?

As Obeidallah points out, in a 2011 speech at the Reagan Library, Christie was very clear in his opposition to in-state tuition for the children of undocumented immigrants, defending it as a “common sense position” and noting that taxpayers should not have to subsidize their education.

This fall, however, in a gubernatorial election debate, Christie abandoned his previous opposition and pulled an about-face, claiming he now supports the Act.

Christie will likely sign the bill once it makes it across his desk, and will deflect criticism with a predictable excuse of respecting the wishes of his constituents.

But is he now a documented flip-flopper? You bet. 

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