Newt Gingrich Goes Against GOP, Favors DREAM Act

Impact
ByJessica Goodman

Current Republican presidential favorite Newt Gingrich seems to be backing Texas Governor Rick Perry's support of major immigration legislation like the DREAM Act, a bill that would provide conditional permanent residency to certain illegal immigrants. 

But political analysts are seeing Gingrich’s stance on immigration as a problem that could hurt his campaign moving forward.

The former House leader seems to believe that he is reaching and appealing to the voters who are supportive of the DREAM Act. Like President Barack Obama, Gingrich is fighting for the Latino vote.

Perry’s stance on immigration set him apart of other GOP candidates at the first set of Republican debates a few months ago. But many of his fellow running mates have since used Perry's immigration stance against him to great effect, voicing instead more hard-line policies. Broadly, Perry's immigration stance has hurt his campaign.

In contrast to Perry, Mitt Romney has repeatedly said that he feels the DREAM Act will continue to encourage undocumented people to hop the border and come into the country. Offering education at the same value to undocumented students would be a political failing, the former Massachusetts governor contends. Romney’s opposite stance on immigration has gathered support from people who think it is the wrong economic direction to hand out money as if it were meaningless to non-citizens. 

But Gingrich is on the other side of the fence, saying that he believes that people who were raised here after being brought over as children and who have stayed out of trouble should be able to give back to the country either through work or serving in the military, especially as it helps boost our economy.

People are clearly on both sides of the fence on this issue – do we make it easier for the undocumented immigrants to come into the country in order to help boost our economy and provide an education that will help the future of the country, or do we build a fence and deport them back to Mexico or wherever they come from no matter how long they have been in the country? 

This issue has been the marker that has divided the GOP. We can only wait and see how Gingrich's stance will effect his campaign moving forward. 

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