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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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In his first statement, he says he doesn't want to "rip families apart," but in the second statement, he says he wants the illegals to return to their home countries and apply and get in line. Doesn't sending them home to apply "rip families apart?" Let's see the detailed plan so we can decide.
Newt's first statement is front page news in several foreign newspapers. All he is doing is establishing new criteria for amnesty. Sneak into the US, fly under the radar for 15-20 years, buy property and build a big family, and you will be exempt from deportation. Once the specific criteria are listed and translated into many languages, the worldwide mass migration toward our borders will begin.
While some insist the children of the illegal aliens have birthright citizenship, in fact, the Constitution does not. It says, and very clearly, the children of Diplomats, visitors and aliens are not granted citizenship unless the parents are in the jurisdiction of the United States. Illegal aliens are NOT in the jurisdiction of the United States, and the children of illegal aliens .are. illegal aliens.
Hope this helps.
Currently, Title 8 of the U.S. Code fills in the gaps left by the Constitution. Section 1401 defines the following as people who are "citizens of the United States at birth:"
* There is an exception in the law — the person must be "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States. This would exempt the child of a diplomat, for example, from this provision
Joel Wischkaemper, the exception is for the children of diplomats, not immigrating aliens.
It does mean in the jurisdiction of the US . That means to me within the borders of the US! Other thinks otherwise! But I do not know!SO if you are born within the borders of the US are are a citizen! It does not say anything about Parents!
On the subject of birthright citizenship: Our own Supreme Court has ruled, several times, that, no matter what the literal wording is in the Constitution, the writers of the Constitution didn't mean what they wrote, and the Supreme Court has interpreted it their way - meaning that anyone born in the U.S., except the children of diplomats, are automatically an American citizen. The government, including the Supreme Court, should be forced to take the literal words of the Constitution, not what "they" want it to say.
Newt, the US government needs to be looking after the existing citizenry, not worrying about adding additional citizens.
In fact it is the No1 duty of the US government to nurture the best interests of all (living) current US citizens.
Illegal immigrants are by definition the responsibility of their respective national governments, not that of the US government.
I guess all the above would be news to both political parties if they ever emerged from the slime of the Washington scene to spend some time in the real world pondering their combined and utterly appalling track record.
I wondered what caused the earthquake, now I know, it was the Newt flopping again.
The local draft boards were so full of corruption, that they were replaced in 1942 with a lottery. They lasted one year of WWII.
If after 25 years someone has not made things right, I doubt they want to be citizens. Rewarding people because they broke the law for 25 years doesn't sound like good policy.
There was some wisdom in allowing the draft boards to make local decisions as they had no to little effect on the nation. That would not be true with the local immigration boards, their local pronouncement wolud have national consequences and create a host of new problems. Does the local exemption travel with the citizen immigrant? Maybe we need a new word how about citigrant or maybe immizen.
The local draft boards were so full of corruption, that they were replaced in 1942 with a lottery. They lasted one year of WWII.
If after 25 years someone has not made things right, I doubt they want to be citizens. Rewarding people because they broke the law for 25 years doesn't sound like good policy.
For most laws there is a statute of limitation, usually 7 years. Did they break the immigration law by coming here, by remaining here or both? This looks like something the Southern Poverty Law Center needs to look at. :-)
I admit I'm confused by Newt's statement that he is "not for amnesty for anyone," "not... for anybody who got here illegally," but that he IS for legality being given to some. Is the key difference in the term "legality" vs. citizenship? As far as I understand, the only practical difference is a right to vote. I understand his intentions, and some "humane" solution does need to be found, but his proposed solution is at worst confusing and seemingly contradictory and at best incomplete or in need of further explanation.
Immigration reform is the answer. An obviously complicated answer, but the only answer nonetheless. No, we shouldn't reward illegal immigration; no, we shouldn't send the message that if you can get here illegally and simply avoid deportation, one day you will be legal.
But on the other hand, an important point too often ignored: legal immigration is almost impossible for many. It is often far too slow of a process (decades for some) and extremely overcomplicated This also sends a negative message: we will make legal immigration virtually impossible for many of you, so if you really want to come to the US, you'll have to do it illegally.
We need a far less bureaucratic system that is much more open to legal immigration. Good luck figuring that out, but I believe it could be done and that at least should be the focus, not amnesty nor mass deportation.
Nate. Dont worry. Newt is more confused than you are.
If there are a million people in line... it is going to be slow. Mexico's economy is #12 in the world and doing well, but not as well as Brazil. Soo.. go to Brazil with much less people in their lines.
Mexican unemployment can be Googled.. it is about 5.4% Mexico is an excellent place to live. But it is a fact that with our resources and infastructure, the United States is becoming over crowded. Yes.. to many people.
To many people... not enough water!
Newt has a refreshing idea here. If and when this new thought takes off, then when the majority of illegals become legal, the corporations and companies that have been hiring them as illegals for cheap labor will have to fess up and pay them the regular wages that an American citizen would make! This would even out a lot of conniving, shystering and manipulation on both sides! And mebbe, just mebbe, the corporations will start to hire American citizens, or shut up! I believe this idea should be explored as a possibility.
OMG, just put a dang fence up, THEN deal with the illegals!!! Big step there Newt, that ur missing!!!! Next thing you know they will be claiming some form of sanctuary or asylum bc Mexico is just TOO BAD to live and we MUST save them!!
at $4 million a mile - let's put up two fences...
And with a "borrowed" bull dozer I will be able to do billions of dollars of damage over night. :-) Come on people think past the end of your nose.
Reapply? That's rich! They never applied in the first place. They should all be deported and if they want to come here legally they can take the same steps everyone else did that wanted to come here.
But the main issue at hand is to remind our politicians who the hell they work for and that they are not elected to fill their pockets by abusing insider information and obey our laws we are all bound to and one of them is securing our borders by obeying our immigration laws and put a stop to this.
We need laws put into place that state if any of them ignore any of these laws for any reason they are dismissed from office and stripped of any and all perks that the position offers to any law abiding politician.
For to long now our politicians have been running wild in our government doing anything they want without having to answer for basically destroying our country and way of life and making themselves rich at our expense. It's time they are all held accountable and made to answer for it as any other criminal would be.
'Most illegal aliens should go home and apply to return.'
Most?
A baseline issue on this is simple. The Federal Government tells us there are 11.5 million illegal aliens in this country and that number is NOT used by the investment firms and others who suggest it is up around 20 million. I am going to suggest that in light of the numbers in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi, the number is probably higher.
What the Feds provide us are the numbers on their computers with this many not returning after their Visa is done, that many not retuning from a day pass excursion to the U.S., and so forth.
MSNBC probably ran stories on the 'rushes' down on the border. 200 illegal aliens would get set on their side, six Border Patrol Officers would get set on ours. Then.. the rush as all 200 would come over. The Border Patrol would catch 20 perhaps, and the rest just kept on going. Those folks are NOT accounted for on the Federal Computers and so, the Feds don't sound to sharp at all.
This link will provide a good examination of the issue of the numbers, and in that context, Newt Gingrich has never indicated he understood this information. What then does he suggest when he says 'most' should return and apply?
Number of Illegal Aliens and from where
These two links will put you in touch with people who can explain the issue of 'most' in terms of how many are here, rather well.
An editorial that put the NAFBPO in perspective.
Michael Cutler is a retired Border Patrol Officer.
So let me get this straight, you want them to pack up their families, leave their apartments or homes, quit their jobs, pull their kids from school just to leave and come back????
Wow, so brilliant the incredible logic of it all actually escapes me.
Yes! But they obvliosuly don't respect our laws so I would prefer it if they just STAYED OUT.
Apply legally from your homeland. Until then you need to be arrested and deported.
Let the scrutiny begin!!
Most of the illegals will not willingly go back to apply at the back of the line. The U.S. needs to just get tough on illegals in this country and start cracking down harder on employers either if they are homeowners or businesses. Too many illegals now work and live and pay zero taxes but are able to get our tax dollars to support their children to go to our public schools which you pay with your property taxes in education.
I live in Texas and we have tremendous numbers of illegals from south of the Rio Grande River. I personally know of NONE that are working and "pay zero taxes". Some pay no income tax but if they work for a semilegal company they pay all the payroll taxes, if they buy anything they pay sales taxes, if they buy gasoline they pay federal and state taxes on it, if they buy a house they pay property taxes, if they rent a house they pay property taxes in their rent and so on and so on and so on.
Gingrich is an idiot if he thinks people did not hear what he said in the debate! He said if a person who has been here like 25 years or so should be able to stay because they had family here. But also something else I do not understand is when he said if they have worked here and paid taxes. Now how can these people do that when they can not get a Social Security card. Now he is saying most of them would have to go back and come back through the channel of getting their citizenship like everyone else! But some whould be able to stay here legally. NOW who picks the ones to stay and the ones that have to go! He does not know what he is talking about! He talks History all the time! Who cares what all those people did years ago! We need to talk about now!
Until the Supreme Court rules on this. Kids born to illegals will still be American citizens!
If they ruled against, could you imagine the grand-father clause, how many of use are decendants of undocumented immigrants
Virtually all except possibly the American Indian and most Mexicans in the United States. At the time Texas was admitted to the United States, Texas was about 75% American Indian, Mexican and Negro, less than 25% (possible much less) were Caucasian.
otherBob - You seem to have forgotten about Ellis Island and all the legal immigrants that make this country great.
He didn't go far enough. They should have no right to social services, no right to work, no right for free public schooling for their children and no free health care. They should be banned from their children becoming American citizens at birth. If they want all of those rights, they need to leave and apply for citizenship.
It is obvious we have people entering the USA illegally that aren't coming in just to pick strawberries or tomatos. Make it loudly clear that people must enter the US LEGALLY. If they wish to work in the US, then enter LEGALLY.
My opinion is First close the borders, allof them not just the Southern one. Post military troops on the ground and a drone overhead. It is a matter of national security and we are collecting people that are stressing many systems that WE who are legal are paying for.
That done change the anchor baby law and if possible backdate the effective date. Create laws that make it impossible for illegals to partake of medicaid, food stamps, ect. Make employers responsible for not hiring people that cannot prove they are legal. Then give any illegals under arrest a one way bus ride to Tiajuana for breakfast. Anyone seeking medical help that is no acutely ill also needs a one way flight home. Many will leave of their own accord.
For those against this I would submit that many many people hire the illegals because they dont have to pay them minimum wage for thier work.
Also, I would submit that those legal citizens on food stamps, medic aid, and unemployment for extended periods of pass a drug test in order to collect and be offered work such as the CC did...cleaning along hiways, parks, and other work that they can perform. It is NOT an invasion of rights, to maintain my employemnt I pass random drug and alcohol testing sometiumes 5 or more times a year. I know I am safer in my work because this is required.
Too late, Newt. Even Rush ain't gonna vote for you.
I hear the DNC needs a janitor for the convention this year...
How much of a problem really is illegal immigration? I mean, people have been illegally immigrating to this country for decades. They were here during the Depression, and here during times of prosperity. I mean, yeah, they're breaking the law and whatnot, but I don't think they're the real problem affecting this country's economy.
I'm not saying it's not a big problem, but no one bitched when they were here during times of prosperity. The bigger thing costing us tens of billions a year are the tax breaks we give to people and corporations that don't really need them.
Rack - Pick up the newspaper and do a little homework before you post. Illegals cost us billions of dollars. The majority are poorly educated, have no skills and large families. We can no longer afford to take care of all the world's ills. Mexico needs to take care of their own problem.
Be careful what you wish for, then. Most of the people that were already here probably felt the same way when my grandfather came over penniless from Ireland during the Potato Famine. Indians probably felt the same way when we landed on Plymouth Rock, too.
Where is Lou Dobbs when you really need him??
Newt, Newt, Newt, where to start..........I just can't
("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.)This is not the Republican way.
DeeDee Myers says it all
Newt Gingrich is a POLITICAL "SOCIOPATH"
It took longer than I thought, but here he is trying to back pedal again. I think Gingrich should reapply.
Ken and Rick And as usuall Obama will stand by and do nothing! Jaws flapping ,enriching himself and wall street! But doing nothing to save the middle class of this country.
And dee dee myers let the community organizer slip into the white house without so much as a thoughtful question!