Republicans Watch Their Language in Immigration Debate

When he took to the floor of the U.S. House to speak about undocumented immigrants two years ago, Republican Representative Ted Poe of Texas said “illegals” were draining the health-care system, and lamented that those with an “anchor baby” could get welfare benefits.

By the time he participated in a hearing about immigration earlier this year, Poe’s language had changed considerably. He spoke of a “broken” system that can be exploited both by “people who are coming here to better themselves” and those who enter to commit crimes.