Cleveland Reporter

Once a vocal Republican backer of amnesty for illegal aliens, U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno says that he’s changed his mind on the topic.

Like his two opponents in the primary, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and State Sen. Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls), Moreno says now he also believes all illegal aliens should be deported from the U.S..

“Amnesty means anyone who is here illegally needs to be deported,” Moreno said in a Fox 8 Cleveland candidate debate in late January.

He has been even more emphatic on the campaign trail, telling a group of Medina County Republicans in October that “illegals are driving down wages for American workers and driving up housing costs for families - They have to go.”

But Moreno critics say he doth protest too much.

Chris Maloney, an aide to Dolan, said Moreno’s change of heart on illegal immigration is proof he's an “ideological shapeshifter.”

Moreno acknowledges that his views on illegal aliens are 180 degrees from where they were when he first entered politics. 

He once argued fiercely that immigration laws were to protect the interests of immigrants, not existing U.S. citizens. And he aggressively opposed President Donald Trump's calls for deporting illegal aliens, criticizing Trump for appealing to U.S. citizen "fear" of illegal immigration.

 “The goal is to help them become Americans.”

In July 2016, at a Cuyahoga County GOP candidate forum, Moreno had been outspoken in condemning Donald Trump's proposed immigration restrictions, including his proposed temporary ban on Muslim travelers to the U.S. 

Moreno agreed with fellow candidate Radhika Reddy that Trump was "appealing to fear" with his policies.

"There's legitimate fear in this country," she said.

A month later, Moreno elaborated on his position in an interview with a pro-amnesty news magazine.

“Immigration laws should protect immigrants’ interests to help them succeed. “The goal is to help them become Americans,” Moreno said in interview with the “New American Economy,” backed by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Moreno sided with Bloomberg and former President Barack Obama on the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” program, which then sought amnesty for an estimated 11 million children of illegal aliens living in the U.S.

“We can’t throw out the people who came here as children. They don’t know anyone from their home countries,” Moreno said.  “We need to help them come out of the shadows.”

In 2017, Bloomberg and New American Economy led a campaign in opposition to Trump's attempts to rescind Obama's amnesty plan, including leading a march on the U.S. Capitol.

"The future of the American dream -- for all Americans -- depends on our willingness to keep it open to (illegal aliens) who pursue it. And that now depends on Congress having the courage to lead where (Trump) will not," Bloomberg said.

Voter sentiment on illegal immigration has shifted dramatically since 2016.

A January 17 poll by Harvard University found that 35 percent of Americans believe immigration is the most important issue facing the U.S., up seven points from just a month earlier. 

The poll indicated that 50 percent of Republicans see immigration as the country's most important issue, and 36 percent of independents.

The Ohio Republican primary is March 19.