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Tuesday night's debate quickly put on display just how divided Republicans are one immigration — an issue that could play a decisive role in 2016.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and GOP businessman Donald Trump engaged in a forceful debate on how to handle the millions of undocumented immigrants currently in the United States.
Trump cheered this week's ruling by a federal appeals court that said President Obama could not move forward with his plan to overhaul the country's immigration system. He also repeated his proposal to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. The proposal has won him support among some in the GOP's conservative wing.
"We are a country of laws. We need borders. We will have a wall," Trump said. "The wall will be built. The wall will be successful. And if you think walls don't work, all you have to do is ask Israel. The wall works — believe me."
However, Kasich — who supports a pathway to legal citizenship for undocumented immigrants — called that "silly" and "not an adult argument."
"For the 11 million people, c'mon folks. We all know you can't pick them up and ship them across the border," Kasich said.
That created an opening for Bush, who used the moment to decry Trump's plan as politically divisive and as policy that is "not embracing American values."
"Even having this conversation sends a powerful signal," Bush said. "They're doing high-fives in the Clinton campaign when they hear this."
"The way you win the presidency is you have practical plans," he added.
