Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has clarified his comments regarding immigrants in the US without a visa.
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28 November 2011
Republican candidate backs American immigration solution for illegals
Speaking to a crowd of 700 people at a Hilton hotel this past weekend, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich clarified his earlier comments regarding immigrants currently residing in the United States without a valid American visa.
Gingrich confirmed that he does not support an amnesty for anyone, instead stating that he wished to build “a path to legality for those people whose ties are so deeply into America that it would truly be tragic to try to rip their family apart” and that it was important to “have an honest conversation about what are we going to do about the people who are already here".
There are an estimated 11 million people in the United States without a valid America visa, and how to handle their residency continues to dominate the political arena over American immigration.
Candidates for the Republican Party nomination for Presidential candidate in 2012 have been involved in a series of debates surrounding issues of importance to the party ahead of upcoming elections. Gingrich’s comments were previously attacked by other candidates for the party’s nomination, including Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Michele Bachmann, who both claimed that Gingrich was supporting a de facto amnesty. However Gov. Romney previously echoed Gingrich’s remarks in an interview which took place in March 2006, in which he said “we need to begin a process of registering those people, some being returned, and some beginning the process of applying for citizenship and establishing legal status.”
Other Republican candidates take a traditionally firmer position. One candidate, Congressman Ron Paul, has stated he would go as far as to remove welfare and social security payments for illegal aliens, along with mandated hospital emergency treatment and those children born in the US to illegal aliens should not automatically become US citizens, despite this right being enshrined in the US Constitution.
Congressman Paul notes however: “Most immigrants do not come for handouts; rather, they come for survival reasons and have a work ethic superior to many of our own citizens who have grown dependent on welfare and unemployment benefits. This anger may reflect embarrassment as much as anything.”
The American Visa Bureau is an independent migration consultancy specialising in helping people with their ESTA visa application.
