Earlier: ANN COULTER: Nikki Haley Offers Moral Instruction To U.S.

Here are Nikki Haley and Ron De Santis arguing about immigration (at 53:20), which in this election is probably the only thing that matters.

DeSantis hit Haley on being ”weak on immigration,” arguing she opposed the construction of a border wall back in 2016, a key Trump campaign promise, and that she said ”there shouldn’t be a limit on immigration.” 

”I said you can’t just build a wall. You have to do more than build a wall. It was having the wall and everything else,” Haley countered.

The alleged opposition to a border wall stems from Haley’s 2015 remarks at a National Press Club luncheon saying ”because a wall is not going to do it.” 

Haley, however, went on to say during the remarks, ”You’ve got to have commitment of ground troops, equipment, money, all of that to bring it together.”

Throughout her recent campaign stops, Haley has been adamant about calling for a broader approach to stopping illegal immigration, such as adding ground troops and technology.

DeSantis and Haley call each other liars in last GOP debate before Iowa caucuses, CBS, January 11, 2024

Haley, though her 2015 remarks (the link is to the Washington Post above) contained some enforcement language, is clearly an immigration enthusiast:

”Republicans need to remember that the fabric of America came from these legal immigrants,” she said. ”If you want to talk about tackling illegal immigration, then let’s talk about it, but we don’t need to attack so many millions of people who came here . . . and did it the right way, like my parents.”

Haley wasn’t finished. “Why are you going all the way to this side and talking about birthright citizenship when you haven’t even talked about illegal immigration itself?” she asked. “Are you as a candidate going to commit to putting troops along the border?” She also cited the high cost of drones, planes, and detention and deportation capabilities, which would be needed. Concluded the governor: “Don’t say you’re just going to build a wall, because a wall’s not going to do it.”

It was at times implicit and at times explicit, but it was clearly a rebuke of Trump from a lonely voice of tolerance within the party.

No one in the Republican Party of either 2015 or 2024 needs or wants a minority politician to be a lonely voice of tolerance in the party.

Here’s another quote from the debate via CNN:

DESANTIS: Do not trust Nikki Haley with illegal immigration. That’s like having the fox guard the hen house.

Nikki Haley also opposed the border wall in 2016. She said that—she ridiculed it when Donald Trump was president. I’m telling you, you need a wall.

HALEY: Go to desantislies.com. I said you can’t just build a wall. You have to do more than build a wall. It was having the wall and everything else. You can’t trust what Ron is saying.

Nikki Haley’s history says that’s she’s in favor of all kinds of legal immigration, and opposes being mean to illegal immigrants, so DeSantis is probably right.