John Kasich defends immigrants as "contributing significantly"

Republican presidential candidate John Kasich defended millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally as "people who are contributing significantly" to the nation, taking on a divisive issue Wednesday as he promised to redefine conservatism during his latest New Hampshire appearance.

Kasich, a second-term Ohio governor, addressed immigration among other delicate political issues before a crowd of more than 200 packed into a small VFW hall, his second public stop in a two-day swing through the first-in-the-nation primary state. Kasich remains one of the lesser-known 17 Republican White House hopefuls, yet a strong debate performance in his home state last week has produced fresh signs of momentum.

Introducing himself to many New Hampshire voters for the first time this week, he offered a pragmatic approach to national politics likely to antagonize some of his party's more conservative voters.

He quickly dismissed a questioner during an afternoon town hall-style meeting who suggested immigrants in the country illegally are a burden on the system.

"A lot of these people who are here are some of the hardest-working, God-fearing, family-oriented people you can ever meet," Kasich said to a smattering of polite applause.

Speaking later to reporters, he said he favors a pathway to legal status for such immigrants, and would not rule out a pathway to U.S. citizenship as part of an immigration reform package.

"It's not practical to move, or I don't even think desirable, to try to shift 12 million people out of this country," Kasich said. "These are people who are contributing significantly."

In tone and policy, Kasich's remarks on immigration are in line with those of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a popular target for tea party activists who question his conservative credentials. While primary voting won't begin for another six months, Kasich's early rise represents a direct threat to Bush's chances in New Hampshire, a state both men see as critical to their early state strategy.

The Ohio governor's comments stand in stark contrast to billionaire businessman Donald Trump, who described Mexican immigrants as "rapists" and "criminals" as he entered the Republican presidential contest earlier in the summer.