Former U.S. House of Representatives speaker and presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said some in his own Republican Party are “enthusiastic” on the issue of immigration, calling for millions of undocumented as well as documented people. He predicted that Donald Trump’s proposal to potentially deport people from the country would not materialize.
“I would be very surprised if we saw a major effort to change things for people who are here legally,” Gingrich said weeks before Trump returned to the White House. . “I think there is a very small faction within the party that is passionate about this.”
He also warned that public support for mass deportations would “collapse” if people started talking about “mothers, infants and children being deported.”
The next president may not welcome Gingrich’s intervention. After all, Trump won last year’s election by promising mass deportations involving the military and concentration camps. He singled out ultra-hardliners like Tom Homan and Stephen Miller, suggesting the administration would seek to remove children and documented people, telling NBC: Families must stay together and send everyone back. ”
Also at issue are the fate of millions of so-called Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, and the fate of President Trump’s 14th Amendment protections. President Trump has said he will revoke birthright citizenship. By executive order.
With widespread unrest and protests expected, Mr. Gingrich said he was “enthusiastic to help find a path to legitimacy for Dreamers” and that Mr. Trump would seek legal action. He said the position could be less at odds with Mr. Trump, given the proposal that he might accept. address the issue.
Mr. Gingrich added, “To say that someone who came here when he was 2 years old, spoke only English, graduated as valedictorian of his high school class, and is now a nurse or a doctor should be deported. Nonsense. We’re going to deport them, but they don’t speak the language of their parents’ country of origin and have earned the right to be Americans?
“…We need to recognize that there are stages to the issues we are grappling with and think through how to meet and reconcile the long-term identity and national security interests of this country. I think there’s a human concern. And I think that’s a real challenge. ”
Mr. Gingrich, now 81, served in the Georgia House of Representatives for the last four years, serving as Speaker of the House from 1979 to 1999. In 2012, he ran for the Republican presidential nomination. A prolific writer, he provided advice to Trump during his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and remains close to Trump.
Mr. Gingrich spoke to the Guardian to commemorate the release of the PBS documentary “Journey to America with Newt and Callista Gingrich,” which he and his wife produced about immigrants who have made significant contributions to American public life. Ta.
US Morning Briefing breaks down the day’s big stories and explains what’s happening and why it matters
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may include information about charities, online advertising, and content sponsored by external parties. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and are subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
After newsletter promotion
“Despite some of the statements[by Mr. Trump and his allies]we are a nation of laws,” he said. “And I think if you have legal status in the American system, it’s very difficult to deport you. On the other hand, if you don’t have legal status, it’s very easy to deport you, right? And I’m all for doing the easy thing first. That’s why, as a matter of fact, we should give[Dreamers]legal status.”
Along these lines, Mr. Gingrich announced a seven-step immigration plan, presumably for President Trump to consider.
Gingrich issued another warning. “Lincoln once said that anything is possible depending on the sentiment of the public. Nothing is possible without the sentiment of the masses. Well, there are many human stories of mothers and babies and children being deported. Yes, but that would destroy support for deportation programs.”
