Rand Paul to his Immigration Critics: Newsflash, We Already Have Amnesty

Rand Paul On Immigration: 'I've Got A News Flash' For Ann Coulter (Fox News)

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was dismissive on Thursday of conservative critics such as Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, saying their arguments against immigration reform were misguided.

"I've got a news flash for those who want to call people names on amnesty: what we have now is de facto amnesty," he said in an appearance on Fox News. "We have 11 million people here. They've been here, some of them, for a decade or more. No one is telling them to go home, no one's sending them home."

Paul delivered a speech on Tuesday in support of immigration reform to legalize undocumented immigrants already in the United States and later allow them to become citizens. He disputed reports that it was an endorsement of a pathway to citizenship, but also said he would not support a policy that banned naturalization for undocumented immigrants.