Donald Trump's choice to head the Labor Department is an outspoken immigration supporter whose views seem to clash with the president-elect. With the announcement Thursday that Trump will nominate Andrew Puzder came speculation — and grumbling — that he would favor an open-border policy that would clash with the hard-line talk his potential boss espoused on the campaign trail. An op-ed piece Puzder authored in The Wall Street Journal last year helped crystallize his views on the subject. He counseled Republican presidential candidates to come up with a realistic vision of how to deal with immigration, including the 11 million undocumented workers already in the country. "The GOP needs to end the family drama and resolve the policy dispute, not least because it is the right thing to do in every sense — economically, politically and morally," he wrote.

While calling for strong borders and penalties for those entering the U.S. illegally, he also advocated for a vigorous process that does not lock out those from other parts of the world.

CKE Restaurants CEO Andrew Puzder, center, departs Trump Tower in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016. Andrew Harnick | AP

"The best way to protect American workers is to generate economic growth," he wrote. "This is not synonymous with aggressively restricting immigration." Puzder supported a "path to legal status" that would be "short of citizenship" so long as the undocumented are "willing to accept responsibility for their actions and take their consequences." That path would include passing a background check, paying a fine and learning English, among other measures. "Every option should be on the table, except amnesty, which forgives illegal conduct. It isn't amnesty if immigrants admit wrongdoing and accept punishment," he said.

'Use the labor force in California as an example'