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NAPLES, FL -- Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich defended his immigration policy after days of criticism from other GOP contenders – reiterating that he does not support amnesty -- on Friday night before his largest crowd yet on the campaign trail.
Erik Kellar/AP
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich addresses a town hall meeting Friday at the Naples Hilton in Naples, Fla.
"I am not for amnesty for anyone. I am not for a path to citizenship for anybody who got here illegally," Gingrich told the crowd of roughly 750 people, many of whom were forced to stand in the hallway. "But I am for a path to legality for those people whose ties are so deeply into America that it would truly be tragic to try and rip their family apart."
The former House speaker, who is seen as one of the front-runners for the GOP nomination, has been taking some heat on his stance on immigration since Tuesday’s debate. After the debate some of his Republican rivals – Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney – have accused Gingrich of supporting amnesty, which the speaker said Friday night was misinformed.
"It speaks badly of any candidate who would deliberately repeat something which they know is not true," Gingrich told the packed crowd inside a Naples Hilton ballroom. Later, he added, "Ironically, in the Reagan Library debate I think most of them actually agreed with me," on my immigration policy.
Gingrich wants to model his immigration plan for illegals already in the country on the WWII model of the Selective Service System program, which allowed local communities to decide who would be drafted for war. He noted that the program "really tried to take general policy and give it a human face."
"I think the vast majority [of illegal immigrants] will go home and should go home and then should reapply. I do not think anybody should be eligible for citizenship," the former speaker said to loud applause in Southwest Florida with his wife, Callista, sitting in the front row of the audience. "I am suggesting a certification of legality with no right to vote and no right to become an American citizen unless they go home and apply through the regular procedures back home and get in line behind everybody else who has obeyed the law and stayed back there."
Gingrich has been rapidly rising in the polls recently despite questions raised about his ties with Freddie Mac and now on his policy on illegal immigrants. Back in the summer months, many Republicans and pundits wrote off the former speaker after more than a dozen of his staff quit unexpectedly.
"Remember, I was supposed to be dead in June or July," Gingrich said. "One side of that is that for a long period of time, they didn’t pay any attention to me."
Gingrich and his wife are scheduled to sign books Saturday morning in Naples.
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Newt has some of his information wrong. He stated that illegals paid taxes. That is partially correct. They may have paid sales taxes or perhaps property taxes. The only way they could pay income taxes is with a SS# and that would have not been theirs. Sure, some employers probably "witheld" income taxes and Social Security taxes, but you can bet that money never got to the IRS. Bottom line is that those who broke our laws should not be rewarded with the right to stay here or citizenship. They can leave and follow the proper process. Those who say we can't remove 11 million illegals are incorrect. It can be done by totally denying them work, health care, housing, welfare, education or any other benefit. Those remaining can be removed by active law enforcement at the local level if the job is too big for ICE. The border gets sealed and then and only then do we start the process for legal immigration. It is totally wrong for states to allow resident tuition for illegals and is my one sore point with Texas. Washington and our elected officials have turned a blind eye to the violence that is creeping along our southern border. They must not watch the news or the TV series about the Border Patrol or Laredo Police and the violence they encounter with drug smuggling and illegal entry. Anyone who thinks this is not a war, and one we are losing, is an idiot.
WHAT ABOUT A TAX AMNESTY FOR ALL TAX EVADERS OF THE LAST THIRTY YEARS?
I'm sure that would go over well.
So why should illegal entry, residency, and stealing from the US treasury by illegal immigrants be any different?
Corporations which produce profits overseas get a tax holiday every few years when Congress agrees to let them bring home these profits and pay only a 3% tax rate. The corporations promise to then keep the money in the US to create jobs but this isn't in writing. The corporations always turn around and send the profits back overseas to earn more tax free profits.
Current Political Operating Procedure:
Say something, anything to a crowd.
Advisors inform speaker that's a bad statement. Very bad.
Speaker says the opposite.
Speaker spins both stories to look like he/she knows what the heck they're discussing.
Loyal followers nod heads in agreement and cheer.
I don't like my SSN. Hey Newt, can I go REAPPLY too ?
Gingrich says that those illegals "with close ties" to the USA can stay.
Sounds more like: those that have gotten away with illegal activity the longest should be given the most sympathy.
Who are we kidding with this rubbish? Americans just aren't that naive anymore about this issue to swallow this nonsense.
What Newt means by "close ties" is those illegals who agree to register and vote republican.
I want to see Newt in Beyonces dance ensemble!
Part of her Dance Posse!
In Leggins!
Or maybe with Lady GaGa's dance Troupe!
Or how bout on Dancing with Stars and Tom DeLay!
As Americans lets start to show how we really feel to these illegals..
Rather than saying hello say goodby and don't let the door hit you in the arse
on the way back to mexico
it the fault of the USA that illegals are here. illegals are here because employers pay them less than Americans to do the work. arrest employers (and their crooked sub contractors who act as firewalls for the true employers) who hire these illegals and your illegals problem will stop. no one is coming here for free, its the money. while 6 or 7 dollars an hour may sound low to Americans, it is a fortune to some illegals but stops an American from making a living wage. you will notice that little is done to go after employers. the reason is that congress and local officials are bribed, and that includes the INS.
What most people who have never seen anyone go through it is that a Mexican applying for citizenship can take over ten years.
Our government has quotas for immigration. a certain number of other countries citizens must be allowed citizenship for every Mexican. That means our government will let in terrorists and criminals that hate America rather than let in Mexicans. And at least first generation Mexicans are hard workers and want to do better for themselves. Some of the people I've seen being let in from Arabia and northern Africa are worthless to America, and I would rather see the Mexicans here.
I am not saying that I agree with them being here illegally, just that the quotas our government has out of political correctness, are not correct nor good for America.
Let's do a sting. Tell them if they apply and agree to a background check we will give them amnestry. When we finally have all the relations and friends arrest them and deport them all.
GOP is the Pasty Old Guy Posse!
Just take off Newts Black Jacket, because you know it makes him look slimmer, give a him a sleeveless filthy white t-shirt and stick a can of Beer in his hand and there you have him in his natural state!
Can not help but notice that most , if not all , posts refer to latino illegal immigrants.Do the posters want the same rules for Irish,Russian and other illegal immigrants to apply?
uh yes...
I have a way to conclude the whole thing. Try this on and see how it works for ya....WE ARE FULL! We no longer accept applications for citizenship except by invitation only. We no longer will accept your tired , your hungry, your downtrodden, etc, etc ...We are full ! If you don't belong here , go home and don't come back. You are not a citizen now nor will you ever be cause with our present growth rate we are full...don't want no more, no need no more. Conflict resolved !
Here again we see how out of touch Newt is with his base. Republicans don't want Mexicans to "re-apply for citizenship", they want to shoot them, and maybe torture them (like they want to do to war prisoners). Any candidate who is not seething with hatred and fear of Mexicans is too "liberal" for the Republican base. Actually, they've all stumbled on this issue, except for Bachman who seems to be a genuine hater. it's hard to be uncompromisingly evil all the time, unless that's what you are.
Talk about being out of Touch? (With reality)
Gingrich...you are a brilliant man with brilliant ideas. Why don't you drive around the country and spread them If you like the idea, a chevy volt would be great transportation.
Newt they broke the law what is it u dont understand i your feeble mind
There is some merit to the formative stages of his immigration plan. I don't like him, and probably won't vote for him, but at least he's offering up a solution to a problem that no one else seems to have an answer for. The number one requisite, along with Newt's proposal should be that all applicants speak English. That is, of course, if our spineless, yellow-bellied, gutless, elected officials ever propose legislation or a constitutional amendment to make ENGLISH our legal, national language. If you can't speak, read, or write the language, you cannot be a citizen, simple. Someone likewise, should address the Chinese system of "birthing to become natural born citizens" in the U.S.A. I'm not for changing the constitution, but something needs to be done to curb this influx of what I consider illegals taking opportunity of loop holes in our system. You can only accommodate so many citizens with a broad liberal, political ideological brush, before the system becomes positioned to no longer serve its original intent, that of its legal citizens. In other words, America will not be for Americans, because there won't be any!!
I have to comment against the Gingrich approach. These people broke the laws of the United States. If they are not punished then why have laws at all.
By this logic why shouldn't I be able to walk into a bank and steal $10 million. Then 10 years from now I just give back $10 million to the bank and all is forgiven.
Just as my example is ridiculous, so is the idea that lawbreakers who are in the United States should be allowed to get away with the crime they committed.
There is no doubt that the immigration system in the United States is broken (having sponsored a British citizen for a green card in a process that took over 5 years and cost nearly $20k in legal and government fees I have personal experience of this unlike most of you). That being said, breaking the law because the system is broken is still unacceptable.
Deport ALL illegal aliens and their anchor babies. If they want to live in OUR country then they need to follow our rules.
No immigration from anybody , anywhere...not just Mexicans, from anywhere. WE are full...no more room ....go somewhere else. If you feel sorry for the illegals having to return home you are entitled to seek citizenship in their country. Maybe you can occupy something and change that country. We would like ours left alone if you please.
storm in a bucket, could you please tell all Americans in Canada to go home.
Hey Liberals, what is Obama's policy on illegal immigration? Oh, that's right, he does not have one except "I need the mexican voters" policy....
Obama will have deported more illegals in his first term than Dubya did in both of his.
Will you FOX cronies PLEASE do a little research before you post idiocy??
What is his policy Dihole? Spell it out.... The problem is, you can't.. The other piece of fact you have no clue on is that there has been more illegals crossing the boarder since BHO's been in office...
Oh yweah, the other nice fact you leave out is this corrupt administration sueing several states who are trying to protect themselves.. Come on liberal crony, where are your true facts....
If the Republicans were serious about illegal immigration, they could rid this the US of illegal immigration within a year. They would go after the "Illegal Employers" that do not apy taxes, a fair wage and zero wages.
Republicans should declare war on the tax evading Illegal employers. We could put these destroyer of our economy in jail. Help raise the wages of the Middle Class. It is just that easy.
Last time I looked, republicans control 1/3 of the government while the democrats control 2/3 of the government. Perhaps you should target either just the dems or both the dems and repubs together.
Newt should go away and hide as he probably will after his past is hashed out as it always is once you might emerge as a possible candidate.
The man is a fool.
The Immigration issue itself is a scam on us. It is always just another deal like gay marriage, or Abortion, or prayer in school or any number of dumb stuff like that.
If we were really interested in ending illegal immigration just send those that hire them to prison and it would be over in a flash.
If we only would go back the intent of the original writers of the Constitution and have males and landowners only voting in public elections, The elite males would solve this problem over night
The Constitution only Guarantees rights to white citizens, The 14th amendment only Guarantees the same rights to black Citizens that white Citizens enjoy, The Federal Government does not have the rights to sue states for enforcing immigration laws set by the States, The Feds are trying to use the 14th amendment of our Constitution for authority where there is none over regulation of illegals in a state of the union, Anchor baby is also an illegal term, The 14th amendment or the Constitution does not guarantee Citizenship to children of illegal parents.
Huh??
I see you have never read Constitutional Law?
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