The Heritage Foundation concluded that the cost of amnesty would be $2.6 trillion just for increased entitlement program costs. And the number of additional LEGAL immigrants who would join those who were the recipients of amnesty through chain migration, i.e., family reunification, would approach 70 million over a 20-year period, assuming there are only 12 million illegal aliens. We cannot assimilate such numbers. An amnesty would destroy the United States of America with the stroke of a pen.
Newt supports amnesty no matter how Orwellian his use of language is. He is rewarding people who broke our laws by not only entering illegally, but working illegally, committing ID theft, evading taxes, etc. These are not the people who should have their status legalized and allowed to remain in this country. It is not about citizenship, but giving criminals the object of their crime, i.e., to stay and work here.
We had a "one time" amnesty 26 years ago. It doesn't work. And we have something called the Rule of Law. There are billions of people who would love to come here and pay $5,000 to stay and work here. When you reward something, you get more of it.
6. Create a path to earned legality for some of the millions of people who are here outside the law.
There are currently anywhere from 8 to 12 million people living in the United States who entered illegally.
These people range from day laborers who arrived recently, to grandparents who have been paying taxes, supporting their families and obeying the law for decades.
We need a system that enforces the rule of law, ensures that those who broke the law pay a stiff penalty, but also acknowledges that it is neither optimal nor feasible nor humane to deport every single illegal immigrant.
We need a path to legality, but not citizenship, for some of these individuals who have deep ties to America, including family, church and community ties. We also need a path to swift but dignified repatriation for those who are transient and have no roots in America.
We need a process that can distinguish at the human level.
Congress must charge the Department of Justice to establish a “citizens’ review” process for those here outside the law. It would establish committees to process these cases in individual communities and determine who will continue on this path to legality, and who will be sent home. Congress must define understandable, clear, objective legal standards that will be applied equally during this process. While this process is ongoing, those here outside the law will be granted Temporary Legal Status for a certain, limited period of time until all have had the opportunity to apply and appear in front of committees.
Applicants must first pass a criminal background check, and then the local committees will assess applications based on family and community ties, and ability to support oneself via employment without the assistance of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other entitlement programs.
The government will rigorously enforce a requirement that all individuals seeking this path to legality must be able to prove that they can independently pay for private health insurance. If an individual cannot prove this, they will lose the ability to stay in the United States.
Furthermore, proficiency in English within a certain number of years, similar to the requirement for naturalization, will be required for anyone who seeks continued legal status in the United States.
Once an applicant has been granted the right to obtain legal status, he or she will have to pay a penalty of at least $5,000.
Moving forward, those who receive this status will have to prove on a regular basis that they can support themselves without entitlement programs and pay for health insurance or else risk the ability to stay in the United States.
Thank you.
Here is the problem: there already exists laws which legally prevent ALL illegal aliens from being thrown back over the border:
“We need a path to legality, but not citizenship, for some of these individuals who have deep ties to America, including family, church and community ties...”
There exist illegal aliens who have been here decades and married U.S. citizens, produced children and grandchildren who are U.S. citizens, and because of already existing laws given preferential treatment by INS. These illegal aliens may be deported but only temporarily before being allowed to return. That’s the law when an alien has close family relatives who are citizens.
He’s not pro amnesty; he is stating legal reality that for some illegal aliens permanent deportation just isn’t going to happen.
However: “...We also need a path to swift but dignified repatriation for those who are transient and have no roots in America.”
If a person is an illegal alien married to another illegal alien they will be deported. Children, even if born in the U.S. will go with parents BECAUSE the Clinton Administration set the precedent when they sent Elian Gonzalez back to Cuba with his father - the U.S. keeps families together.
These laws already exist, kabar. Newt Gingrich will have them enforced once again, something the last four Presidents did not do at all.
To change these laws, Congress must act.