Former Florida Governor and likely 2016 presidential candidate Jeb Bush’s wife Columba was reportedly responsible for convincing him that illegal immigration is an “act of love.”
According to The Hill, Bush’s wife Columba, who is a “Mexican-born immigrant,” has “steeped Jeb in Hispanic culture,” and Bush’s allies reportedly “credit her with helping shape Jeb’s ‘act of love’ message” on comprehensive amnesty legislation.
Last year at an event at the his father’s presidential library in Texas, Bush made his infamous “act of love” remarks at a town hall event.
“Yes, they broke the law, but it’s not a felony,” Jeb Bush said of illegal immigrants. “It’s an act of love. It’s an act of commitment to your family. I honestly think that that is a different kind of crime that there should be a price paid, but it shouldn’t rile people up that people are actually coming to this country to provide for their families.”
In that interview, Bush, speaking specifically about visa overstays, also said that “a great country ought to know where those folks are and politely ask them to leave.”
Republican insiders reportedly think Bush’s wife “could be a touchstone for Jeb in the general election, particularly in rallying the Hispanic vote.”