For a certain segment of the Republican Party, the word amnesty functions as a dirty word. In 2011, then-presidential-candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Perry famously sparred during a televised debate over their respective support of allowing undocumented immigrants to claim citizenship. (Later, Romney said he supported "self-deportation," a especially bizarre turn of phrase on which some commentators blamed his November defeat. Last week, Newt Gingrich called it "the most anti-human phrase you can imagine.")

Well, not much has changed since then, as Republicans continue to accuse both Democrats and each other of supporting an even slightly more humane approach to forced deportation. On last night's Daily Show, Jon Stewart tracked the most ridiculous pronouncements, which are all the more striking now that both President Obama and GOP Senator Marco Rubio are pushing hard for immigration reform:

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at jtrotter at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
J.K. Trotter