Why Newt's Immigration Policy Makes Good Sense

Will Malven
12/03/2011

Newt Gingrich stirred up quite a hornet's nest when he made his suggestions on how America should deal with the question of illegal aliens.

Included in his plans was the selective, case by case review of long-term resident illegal aliens with an eye towards granting limited amnesty--not citizenship--to those illegals who have:

1. Broken no other laws than their initial transgression of entering the country illegally.
2. Established solid roots within their community.
3. Worked hard and not been a burden on the tax-payers of our nation
4. Paid their taxes.

The level of horror with which this was met by some of his fellow candidates was both amusing and offensive. Offensive, because it entailed a dishonest and distorted interpretation of what Newt had said. Amusing, because it demonstrated just how shallow the other candidates are--with the exception of Rick Perry who has probably spent as much time as Newt on this concern.

None of the other candidates has devised an achievable, rational solution to our illegal immigrations problem. They are uniformly given to feel good bromides which usually include some form of "amnesty," or the unreal and unachievable "throw them all out of the country" temper tantrum.

The mass expulsion of illegals from our nation is simply not feasible.

1. It will never pass through any Congress
2. It would be a public relations nightmare for the party that enacted it.
3. It flies in the face of the "pro-family" assertion that all Republicans make of their party and themselves.
4. It would cause untold damage to those industries which rely on the largely illegal migrant work force.
5. It is not a reasoned, well thought out, rational approach--which is what America needs.

These people live here in such great numbers for a reason. They have been intentionally ignored and their presence tacitly approved of for decades. How can you blame a person for taking advantage of a system which outwardly bemoans the presence of illegal aliens, while privately availing itself of their cheap labor and their impact on the market and the revenues that sales taxes and property taxes (paid indirectly through rent) bring in?

America has ignored it's immigration laws for decades while this problem has grown and grown. No matter how much we citizens who observed this problem with growing alarm complained and demanded enforcement and a solution, we and the problem have been studiously ignored by our government.

So now America is faced with a huge problem. Officially, the number of illegal aliens the government admits to is around 11-12 million, but in actuality, that number is probably closer to 20 million. A great many of those 20 million, perhaps one-quarter to one-third have resided her for over a decade.

They have raised children, joined churches established long term residences, built friendships and work relations with their neighbors and become part of the community. They have abided by our laws and are just as eager to be secure in their homes as any citizen. They have become a significant contributing part of our communities.

It would be both cruel and self-defeating for us to simply uproot all of these people from their homes and transport them back across the border to a country which because of their long time residence here would be alien to them. They have become, whether we like it or not and whether they intended it to be so or not, an essential part of our population and culture.

Many of these people still live in a "cash and carry" economy. Wouldn't it be better to bring them in out of the cold and get them paying taxes?

Why is it that rapists, bank robbers, and every other criminal barring murderers, have a statute of limitations on the crime of which they may be guilty, but coming to America illegally does not?

If a bank robber escapes detection for a sufficiently long time, then charges cannot be filed against him even should his identity become known. This is true even if he has been living off his ill-gotten gains for the entire time and retains a large sum of money from his original crime.

Yet in an analogous situation, an illegal alien who has live here for a decade or more--undetected and for that matter unsought--has established solid roots in this society, paid his taxes, broken no further laws since his first transgression (which occurred with at least the tacit approval of the government that has steadfastly refused to enforce the laws) is subject to immediate imprisonment and expulsion for something he did long ago.

Newt Gingrich's solution is not only "compassionate" for the long term resident and his family, but it is rational and just--if we are to judge by the way we treat more violent and serious crimes.

The "red card" solution is not "amnesty," it is not permission for permanent residence, it is not a path to citizenship, it is a temporary work permit attached to a specific job. Once that job is over, the holder must re-initiate the procedure for obtaining a card and must have already been hired for another specific job.

First secure the border. Every candidate in the Republican field--with the exception of Ron Paul--has made that their first priority, including Newt. Once that has been accomplished, then the solution to how we deal with those already in-country can be dealt with rationally and methodically.

The solution Newt has suggested is rational, and achievable. Unlike those who might suggest the immediate expulsion of all illegals, Newt's plan actually has a reasonable chance of becoming law.

Simplistic, poorly thought out solutions may be emotionally satisfying, but rarely can they be accomplished or enacted into law. They are cheap feel good slogans and nothing more.

While it is true that some states have managed to pass laws that, by their effects, have driven large numbers of illegals out of the state, it is very unlikely that such laws will be passed in a sufficiently large number of states to drive even a significant portion of illegals out of our nation.

It seems that Newt's solution offers one very realizable alternative. Limited, selective "amnesty" for those long term residents who meet certain requirements, combined with a new bracero program--as set out in the Krieble Foundations "red-card" proposal may simply be the best solution to the problem.

One thing Newt has been ver clear about and very insistent upon is that we pass a law establishing American English as our official language. Nothing will do more to force the integration of these people into our society.

Long Live Our American Republic!!!