Republican Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich Sympathetic to Illegal Immigrants
Republican presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich, is sympathetic to illegal immigrants.
In what has been largely an almost black and white political derby between the pro-immigrant Democrats and the anti-immigrant Republicans, a presidential hopeful from the latter stands out albeit at risk of generating disapproval from fellow conservatives — showing him to be rather sympathetic to illegal immigrants.
Newt Gingrich was described by a publisher who stated that:
“We are in critical need of the innovative, forward-looking strategy and positive leadership that Gingrich has shown he is capable of providing. He did so with the Contract with America. He did it in bringing in the first Republican House in 40 years and by forging balanced budgets and even a surplus despite the political challenge of dealing with a Democratic President.”
Gingrich has expressed to being “ready to take the heat” when he disclosed his version of reform regarding illegal immigration. His policies included “a path to amnesty for law-abiding families: legalization, on a case-by-case basis, for people with community roots, as evidenced by their extended family ties or their membership in a local church.”
In a sober take by Forbes contributor Merrill Matthews, he outlines the issues Republicans, including Newt, intend to resolve. The first issue, above all others, is the current state of the easily-penetrated border:
“If the U.S. could successfully address the labor supply-and-demand problem that drives most of the illegal immigration by creating a way for potential workers to enter the U.S. legally and in a timely manner, the border security issue would decline significantly, although not completely—since criminals and terrorists could still try to enter the U.S. illegally and without detection. In other words, gaining control of our borders and creating a robust temporary worker program are two sides of the same coin. We can do the former without the latter, but it would be much more challenging.”
Matthews then makes it clear that although Gingrich’s fellow Republicans are shooting him down for supposedly proposing amnesty, it is important to point out that “Newt wants to create a path to ‘legality,’ not citizenship.”
While Newt Gingrich’s suggestions for immigration reform might still be in need of a little more ironing, it does place him in a position that represents the majority of the sentiments of Americans who are, according to CNN and Fox News polls, more sympathetic to illegal immigrants than “the standard GOP tough talk.”
Filed Under: Immigration News
