“The person who’s here, who wants to work here, who’s illegal, needs to first go back to wherever they’re from, and then apply through the process, just like you or I would apply for a passport. I’m not one to sanction, ‘I’ve been beating my wife for 25 years, and therefore in the 26th year, it’s past practice, acceptable.’ That crime doesn’t go away. If you beat your wife, you beat your wife.

Because you beat your wife for 25 years doesn’t give you any status with me or this system. This says, if you want to work in this country and you’re not a U.S. citizen, here’s a process and a way for you to do it.”