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.
What are you, a politcally correct robot?
I have nothing to hide. I do not hire ILLEGAL alien scum. So I am all for the government going after those who do. It speaks volumes that you would oppose that and proves further that you are an advocate for ILLEGAL aliens.
It seems like it is a further burden and expense for the US businessman to me.
Why is this his burden?
Actually, I don’t even have a problem with doing the Feds job as a citizen, but I don’t want them penalizing US businessmen should they not get things to the Feds liking.
If I am going to do their job, I want autonomy.
We made this mistake with DHS.
We got so worked up that we gave up our own rights, AND we grew GOV.
You see? Now we have TSA and can’t move about freely.
How is all this better than what we had?
I cant take a pocket knife on board an airplane. How is this better?
I still have a plan for hijackers.
A bottle of water in a sock, or a BIC pen.
Now I (US Citizen) need a passport to move across the border to Canada or Mexico
We need State and Local authority to trump Federal authority.
It worked just like for them when they set up the TSA, didn't it?
When George Bush did that I felt like we had been stone axed from behind (again). And just like clockwork, this year they became unionized, adding another unionized victim group to the Federal Government Plantation.
Why did Perry get hammered? No one has answered how Newt is the cats meow but Perry was dismissed.
Perry and Santorum are getting the raw deal IMO; if Gingrich is suddenly accepted. Reagan did amnesty; it is unrealistic to think anyone that can win can really change.The candidates all give talking points on immigration reform and then do nothing.Some on here that said it was Palin or the highway had best wake up and realize Perry or Santorum are not that bad and Newt is a book writer insider worse than Perry.
Nobody can.
Perry has been the first out of the gate on all the important issues.
The Economy, Energy, SS ,Health care, States Rights, Immigration, Foreign Policy.
It seems to me that people are trying to prove they are serious too. They are dumping red meat for serious discussions.
It seems to me that “candidates” are trying to prove they are serious too. They are dumping red meat for serious discussions.
Perry>>>>>Gingrich
DUH! I just hope people stop eating they’re own for petty reasans and realize Perry,Bachmann,Cain,Santorum should not be thrown out with the bath water.
Cain is the one that said don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
Good. THANKS, scp. This person deserved to be re-acquainted with FR rules, customs, protocol, stance and philosophy as it relates to the situation of the country under onslaught by a protected HORDE OF INVADERS.
Tell you what. I dont always agree with what others say and vice versa. But, for the last year or two I have been scratching my head on Beck. First thing, he is a mormon, and mormons stick together. I havent anything against their religion, that is their business and not mine. But, they are as bad as menonites or amish or jewish people to do business with and will use anything to gain the upper hand in dealing with any other person of another denomination.
I have seen where Beck has taken news bits from other sources and used it for his own purposes claiming sole ownership of the story. I suspect Beck, or his workers, scan this blog and use bits from this web site for his own personal gain. I do not trust the man nor would I trust him as far as I could chuck a bull by the tail. Beck backs Bachmann, and has left out those little tidbits like her diatribe at that debate where she said about the same thing about immigration as Gingrich said.
I will trust Gingrich way before I will trust Bachmann. For now, I will watch and see what come up and then decide. Gingrich brings experience, Cain bring freshness, and those are the two I am interested in. As for anyone elses opinion, that is their business and not mine.
well I say it too LOL.It is crazy how all candidates are all getting downtrodden and we will be stuck with Romney or worse: Obama.Perry ain’t so bad.
Perry has the best record of governance out there.
Correction: ‘s40’, not ‘scp’. PS, Newt sure screwed himself in Iowa, S.C., etc., with that 2004 letter that is emerging. About 90 percent of FR (and Jim) was LIVID at that time (against the GWB-Vincente Fox amnesty deal), which I see Gingrich hawked, too.
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