Gingrich's Amnesty Plan Has 'Undocumented' Loophole

Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich has come under fire for his amnesty plan. Most Americans cringe at the word “amnesty.” After all, most citizens view it as government acquiescence for political expediency, and, of course, they are right to feel that way. Amnesty is nothing more than to say that elected officials do not possess the will to enforce federal laws — the very thing they take an oath on before assuming their congressional duties.

With that being said, the details for amnesty make the whole gimmick all the more preposterous. Take Newt Gingrich’s plan, the Pew Hispanic Center concluded in their research that an estimated 3.5 million illegal aliens would qualify for amnesty under Gingrich’s plan. That means roughly 30% of the estimated 11 million illegal aliens would be “graced” into society after arriving here illegally. If the number is much higher than 11 million, which many experts say is very likely, then the prospects of amnesty will never really reveal the actual problem and will offer no incentive to fix it.

Mr. Gingrich set himself apart from his leading rivals for the Republican presidential nomination last week by saying that he would open a path to legal status for illegal immigrants who had been in the country for many years, had strong family ties here — children and maybe grandchildren — and no criminal record. (NYT | The Caucus)

Here is the real issue with an amnesty plan such as the one Gingrich is proposing: since illegal aliens are undocumented, there is no system in place in which to judge who qualifies for amnesty and who doesn’t. In other words, fraud on the part of illegal aliens will run rampant. Gingrich’s criterion is baseless by virtue of the problem with illegal immigration in the first place. Again, they are undocumented. If they are undocumented, what prevents them, their employees, their relatives, or their friends from being dishonest in their claims for amnesty? The Pew Hispanic Center has a great population breakdown.

Personal integrity is not the variable to solve for here. For those who broke laws to enter the country, are we to somehow believe they will not break more to stay?