Posted on 11/26/2011 1:01:37 PM PST by presidio9
GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich defended his immigration stance Friday, claiming that he was "not for amnesty."
“I am not for amnesty for anyone. I am not for a path to citizenship for anybody who got here illegally,” Gingrich said at a town hall event in Naples, Florida according to media reports.
“But I am for a path to legality for those people whose ties run so deeply in America that it would truly be a tragedy to try and rip their family apart," said the former House Speaker.
Gingrich has been under fire from some anti-illegal immigration groups since last Tuesday's GOP debate where he spoke out against deporting many illegal immigrant families.
During Friday’s town hall, Gingrich said that if elected he would make securing the border a priority and would support efforts to make English the country's official language.
He said he would also establish a guest-worker program to allow migrants to work in the U.S. But under such a program, businesses which hired undocumented workers would be hit with fines.
"I would have very, very stiff economic penalties for anyone who hires somebody who is not legally inside the system," Gingrich vowed.
At last Tuesday’s GOP debate, Gingrich said that he supported efforts to allow tax-paying illegal immigrants without criminal records to remain in the country or gain citizenship.
“If you've come here recently, you have no ties to this country, you ought to go home, period,” Gingrich had said. “If you've been here 25 years and you got three kids and two grandkids, you've been paying taxes and obeying the law, you belong to a local church, I don't think we're going to separate you from your family, uproot you forcefully and kick you out.”
"I don't see how the party that says it's the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families which have been here a quarter-century," he added. "I'm prepared to take the heat for saying let's be humane in enforcing the law."
Gingrich has faced criticism for his comments from other Republicans. Rep. Michelle Bachmann (Minn.) said in an interview that Gingrich had the “most liberal position on illegal immigration of any of the candidates in the race.”
Influential Iowa congressman Rep. Steve King (R) described Gingrich’s proposals as a “form of amnesty”
“I wouldn’t agree with him on that policy,” King added, suggesting that Gingrich had hurt his chances of winning his endorsement prior to the Iowa caucuses.
The furor over Gingrich’s immigration stance comes as new national polls place him ahead of Romney in the GOP field.
Rush nailed it (as he usally does) when he opined that once you make these illegals "legal," how long doe anyone think it will be, before the ACLU files a lawsusit (appropriately "Judge shopped") and argues it is "Unconstitutional" to make these people "legal" while refusing to grant them "Citizenship?"
Probably about as long as it takes to read this comment.
Moreover, HOW is one going to "prove" length of time in country?
These MILLIONS will be put on the "Honor System" (yeah right!!!) and almost all will swear on their Mother's grave or bible, or whatever, they have lived here 25 years and 1 month.
No "Amnesty" Newt?
Maybe not "de facto," but certainly "de jure" and if it "Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck.......ITS AMNESTY!"
https://www.numbersusa.com/content/action/newt-gingrich.html
Now we have TWO BURRITOS. Perry and Newt. White on the outside and beans on the inside.
What the answer to all these illegals who have been here for 25 years is....”Well we let them overstay for 25 stinking years, enough is enough and its time to go back to Mejico. Plus, they can take all the money and knowledge they gained illegally. Can’t beat that.
Round up 200,000 a month. Thats just 4000 per State. LOL. Ok California and Texas would have higher quotas. Still that gets you to TEN MILLION in ONE TERM.
I doubt it. I don’t believe anything he says. Did he want to pay for his own limo driver? Of course not, thats our job. Millions from Freddie Mac for an hour of “work” a month... whats the real story? He was giving them legitimacy to get the GOP to back off oversight of the “model organization”
He is totally corrupt
People that fall for this plan are dummer than doorknobs. Look what creating a quasi-legal status in “resident” did for Texas. Taxpayers are on the hook for the differential between instate vs. out-of-state tuition rates for ingrate DREAMERS.Then as pointed out shrewdly by Rush a court case will easily create an “equal protection” lawsuit granting equal rights to “residents” as citizens. Take note of the AG lawsuit from Louisiana regarding distorted political representation by counting illegals in the census. This boys and girls is called “loss of the political nation” and will equal a taxpayer funded takeover of your nation paid for in blood. Is that really what you want?
Enforce the laws...its never been done EXCEPT by the courageous move by states like AL,AZ,GA,SC......ALL WE ARE SAYING IS GIVE ENFORCEMENT A CHANCE.......
Newt voted for it before he voted against it. Newt is sounding a lot like John Kerry these days.
Look: I get that you people are not satisfied with Gingrich. Some of you clearly hate the man. That is your right. But spamming threads with nothing but attacks and no solutions is not productive. This party his less than six weeks to come up with a viable alternative to Mitt Romney, or the music stops and that’s who we’re left with. The responsible thing to to would be to offer an alternative candidate and his or her serious alternative.
Nobody thinks that the govt. could or should go out and deport 20 million illegals. Your cheesehead argument is used by the pro-amnesty crowd everyday.
The answer is: enforce the laws, all of them, and the illegals will self-deport. It’s been VERY successful where implemented.
Yes, and Perry has never been for amnesty, or open borders.
And I don't hate Newt. When you say something like that you sound like a liberal who says we hate Obama because we don't like his politics. We can oppose the man w/o hating him.
Free Republic is about promoting and defending conservatism, not the liberal position of amnesty. If you continue posting pro-amnesty pieces conservatives will continue rebuking them. Get used to it.
If you are going to accuse us of "Hating" Newt, at least do us the courtesy of proving your point by posting the occasions where we have shown we hate him.
Oh for Pete's sake! If you don't like the word "hate," disregard it. The clear suggestion was that a more valuable use of everyone's time would be for you to be posting alternatives instead of single minded attacks. However, if you prefer only the attacks, then, yeah, "hate" sounds about right from where I'm sitting.
Liberal tactic #3.
I don't hate Newt. I think he would make a great VP.
Again, name your alternative, and why you like their own plan so much.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2812556/posts?page=24#24
Rick Perry's open border speech:
"Thank you Senator Lucio. President Nevarez, UT-Pan American is to be commended for its vision and leadership in hosting this unprecedented border summit in the beautiful Texas town of Edinburg.
... The NAFTA agreement not only signaled a new era of economic possibility, but a new era of bi-national cooperation. That is why it is wrong, and inherently detrimental to our relationship with Mexico for the U.S. Congress to pursue a protectionist policy that forbids Mexican trucks from U.S. roadways.
... Legislation authored by border legislators Pat Haggerty and Eddie Lucio establishes an important study that will look at the feasibility of bi-national health insurance. This study recognizes that the Mexican and U.S. sides of the border compose one region, and we must address health care problems throughout that region.
... And that vision must include the children of undocumented workers. That’s why Texas took the national lead in allowing such deserving young minds to attend a Texas college at a resident rate. Those young minds are a part of a new generation of leaders, the doors of higher education must be open to them. The message is simple: educacion es el futuro, y si se puede.
... President Fox’s vision for an open border is a vision I embrace, as long as we demonstrate the will to address the obstacles to it. "
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