Is Newt Gingrich Right About Immigration? >
Newt Gingrich Supports the Arizonification of America
Immigrant bashing is not humane, moderate, or good for the U.S.
November 30, 2011
About Chris Newman:
Chris Newman is legal director and general counsel at the National Day Laborer Organizing Network based in Los Angeles.
Newt Gingrich's repugnant position on immigration should not be concealed by his faint use of the word "humane" during last week's GOP primary debate. The mere fact his remarks are deemed compassionate is further proof Republican discourse on immigration continues to dangerously metastasize.
Watch this video of a primary debate between Ronald Reagan and George Bush, and it's clear how unrestrained the current Republican field is in its immigrant bashing. Mitt Romney abandoned his support of immigration reform and now opposes equal education for immigrant children. Herman Cain proposes electrifying the fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. And Rick Perry boasts of receiving an endorsement from a sheriff who recently said it was an honor to have his views on immigration compared to those of the KKK. Within this environment, we may be tempted to see Gingrich as a moderate. However, his statement of the obvious—that the United States cannot and will not deport all undocumented immigrants—was a cold political calculation meant to highlight Romney's flip-flop and to disguise his own regressive views.
[Read Ken Walsh's Washington: Gingrich Faces Backlash From the Right on Immigration.]
Simply put, Gingrich supports the Arizonification of America. He has embraced the very "attrition strategy" codified into the core of Arizona's unconstitutional SB 1070. The idea behind this strategy is to make life sufficiently miserable for immigrants that they leave voluntarily. It doesn't distinguish between lawful and undocumented immigrants, and it privileges the short-term political goal of immigrant-bashing over economic recovery, public safety, and civil rights. And it has a more fundamental flaw. To succeed, the attrition strategy would mean making life miserable for all Americans.
And like the rest of his Republican rivals, Gingrich would deny political equality to 11 million Americans in Waiting by blocking their path to citizenship. He proposes the formation of local "citizens' review" boards to determine which immigrants can remain in second-class status, evoking ominous historical parallels. When 11 million people have been effectively dehumanized, simply using the word "humane" to describe them becomes controversial.
[Read U.S. News's Debate Club: Should the United States build a fence on its southern border?]
The United States is going through a shameful chapter in its unfolding history as the world's first and only nation of immigrants. This isn't the first time newcomers have been scapegoated, nor is it the first time communities of color have been punished by prevailing political sentiment. From the Chinese Exclusion Act, to Eisenhower's "Operation Wetback," to the criminalization of African-Americans over centuries, the American story is replete with examples where people were made "illegal" by unjust laws and careless demagogues. But the country's proudest and enduring history is always written by people who earned their emancipation. People once deemed "illegal" are often the country's greatest protagonists.
Gingrich is wrong on immigration, and the 11 million Americans in Waiting are right. Those who stick it out and overcome the mistreatment Gingrich proposes will eventually earn their citizenship to the benefit of us all.
- Read how the 9/11 terrorist attacks changed immigration.
- Check out a roundup of editorial cartoons on immigration.
- Read why Hispanics are key to a victory in the 2012 presidential race.
- Other Arguments
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#25530
No — Former speaker's "progressive" plan just a sign of how anti-immigration the GOP has become
MARSHALL FITZ, Director of Immigration Policy at the Center for American Progress
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#32819
No — Gingrich asks the right questions on immigration but his policy falls short in answering them
FRANK SHARRY, Founder and Executive Director of America's Voice
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#44538
Yes — Gingrich asks Republicans to have an open and honest dialogue
LUIS ALVARADO, Strategic Advisor for Revolvis Consulting
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#52934
Yes — Former speaker's honesty is refreshing, no matter what his GOP rivals say
TAMAR JACOBY, President of ImmigrationWorks USA
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#62842
No — Unrealistic criteria for amnesty would almost surely be watered down, making matters worse
MARK KRIKORIAN, Author of 'The New Case Against Immigration, Both Legal and Illegal' and 'How Obama is Transforming America Through Immigration'
Reader Comments Read all comments (6)
B. Shagrin of CA 10:17AM December 05, 2011
Fiddlegirl of MT 11:53PM November 30, 2011
James Madison of NY 10:46PM November 30, 2011