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Gingrich Goes His Own Way on Immigration

November 23, 2011 RSS Feed Print

The "New Newt" may have tripped himself up on an old issue.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich knew going into last night's Republican presidential debate that his front-runner status could be precarious and that his record in Washington going back 20 years was filled with possible problems and potential catastrophes.

What caused the difficulty last night was immigration--specifically, Gingrich's long-time support for allowing illegal residents to remain in the United States if they have resided in the country for a lengthy period, paid taxes, and raised families. In the parlance of conservative purists on the issue, that's amnesty, and it's unacceptable.

[Gingrich, Paul Find Receptive Crowd at GOP Debate.]

Gingrich refused to changed his view and he argued for compassion. "I do not believe that the people of the United States are going to take people who have been here a quarter-century, who have children and grandchildren, separate them from their families, and expel them," he said.

He added that he doesn't believe that the Republican party, which "says it's the party of the family, is going to adopt a policy that destroys families that have been here a quarter century."

"I'm prepared to take the heat," Gingrich noted, "to say let's be humane in enforcing the law without giving them citizenship, but by finding a way to create legality so that they are not separated from their families."

This compassion argument got Texas Gov. Rick Perry into trouble in an earlier debate when he said those who reject a moderate course on immigration "don't have a heart." This offended many people who strongly oppose illegal immigration and the episode hurt Perry's candidacy.

[Vote now: Who is your pick for the 2012 GOP nomination?]

Gingrich's opponents pounced. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said treating illegal immigration in a lenient way will "only encourage more people to do the same thing." The campaign of Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota sent out an email that Gingrich's "immigration policy effectively equates to amnesty for foreigners residing in the United States unlawfully."

Unfortunately for Gingrich, his position on illegal immigration is unpopular among many conservatives in Iowa, which holds the first caucuses in the GOP presidential nominating processs in less than six weeks.

Gingrich has been trying to show a less abrasive side and he emerged in debates as the true intellectual in the race and the GOP's idea man.

[Vote now: Will Obama be a one-term president?]

But if Gingrich startes to fade, it will be a familiar story. Bachmann, Perry, and businessman Herman Cain surged briefly to the head of the field and then dropped back. Meanwhile, long-time front runner Romney has stayed at or near the top of the polls. Romney gave another steady, well-informed performance in last night's debate.

Tags:: debates,; immigration reform,; campaigns,; 2012 presidential election,; Newt Gingrich,; politics

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each state will spend millions of dollars trying to deport millions of people who are already established
who have children born in the U.S. who are American
and are entitled to ask their father to stay legally in the United States
would not be what America stands for
helping a country to countries across the world and spends billions of dollars to countries that do not even appreciated
the American people is much better than that
I think it would be best to legalize those already here to pay social security and taxes
establishing a day where children born in the United States
inlegales mothers adocten the nationality of their mothers
inlegales people to whom you gave permission to be an in the United States will placed a time of probation for 10 years if he commits a crime at that time will be deported with no right to go to court
Deporting people with american children, children have rights to be in united states, they are Americans.families would be destroyed and the government will have to take care of all children.
I agree that all who come to the U.S.
have to have their papers in order.
We also must keep in mind that U.S. security is the main idea of enforcin g the law of Immigration
The terroist that an attack the United States all have been legal an and of non-Hispanic nationality
we must secure our borders
United States is the best
I love this country and respect american people they are very good
I think we should not create more enemies
we have enough
we fight with all the countries
we do not have many friends
if we had Central and South America as a friend
as the three Americas
together we were a powerful force
our borders would be the water God bless the UNITED STATES
and American people
God bless the veterans
who have offered their lives for the freedom of all
God bless the men and women of the armed forces of the United States
we all pray for their safe return
and thank you very much for your courage,bravery

Latin American of AR 5:23PM November 26, 2011

Nobody has found a fix for the immigration issue because they feel a single solution is needed when there are three facets to the fix. All need to be worked on simulteneously. Secure the border, revise immigration quotas and remove illegal immigrants. Take immigration worker quotas out of the hands of the hands of Congress and the State Department. Give it to the Interior Department as a administrative issue. Let the states have a hand in setting those quotas based upon data from the industries involved. Remove illegal immigrants then their jobs will open up. US citizens first then requests for foreign workers. That will allow for realistic quotas, thus more legal workers can come in.
The State Department should retain authority on which applicants actually get the visas. It is their responsibility to issue all visas.
Children of illegals who have been here most of their life. Set a path for them to become US Citizens, if they want. Especially if they are near adulthood. As for the parents that is a real matter for discussion.
Criminal aliens should be deported. These are people that commited crimes worthy of deportation or dienied entry intheir homeland or in the USA. We have enough homegrown thugs and don't need any imports (like Bill Clinton let Castro get away with) doing more crimes or filling our prisons.
The federal government should be responsible for securing and defending the nation's borders. We experieence criminal invasions on a regular basis and they need to be stopped. The US Constitution requires this be done by the Federal Government. Immigration enforcement is an issue that crosses state lines thus the Federal government should do it; however, the states should have the authority to interdict any violators they encounter. Then the violator should be given to the Feds for penalty determination and action. By utilizing properly trained local law enforcement officers it has the effect of more 'boots on the ground' for border security.
The states can take a more proactive role in immigration control. They should not issue a driver's license to persons without determining citizenship or immigration status. Then the license should expire when the person's visa does. The visa gets extended and they renew the license to the new date. No visa, no license.
These are all facets to the total immigration issue that need to be worked on. And the work should be all at once. Don't try to do a building block solution, it hasn't worked for decades so what makes anyone think it will work again? If you try the same solution to a problem and it didn't work, why think it will work the next time; or the next.
If you take a bite out of a cake, then I take one, and another takes one we will eventually achieve reach the end of the cake; if all three of us take a bite at the same time we get the end a lot quicker and achieve a better result overall.
Immigration is a larger than one Department issue; treat it that way. "Get 'er done." Now.

AZ Border Dude of AZ 10:39AM November 26, 2011

Everybody says there is this RACE problem. Everybody says this RACE problem will be solved when the third world pours into EVERY white country and ONLY into white countries.
The Netherlands and Belgium are just as crowded as Japan or Taiwan, but nobody says Japan or Taiwan will solve this RACE problem by bringing in millions of third worlders and quote assimilating unquote with them.
Everybody says the final solution to this RACE problem is for EVERY white country and ONLY white countries to “assimilate,” i.e., intermarry, with all those non-whites.
What if I said there was this RACE problem and this RACE problem would be solved only if hundreds of millions of non-blacks were brought into EVERY black country and ONLY into black countries?
How long would it take anyone to realize I’m not talking about a RACE problem. I am talking about the final solution to the BLACK problem?
And how long would it take any sane black man to notice this and what kind of psycho black man wouldn’t object to this?
But if I tell that obvious truth about the ongoing program of genocide against my race, the white race, Liberals and respectable conservatives agree that I am a naziwhowantstokillsixmillionjews.
They say they are anti-racist. What they are is anti-white.
Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white.

jim of GA 11:31AM November 23, 2011

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