Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

Newt Gingrich Proposes Ways For Trump To Enforce Immigration Law And Still Keep Public Trust

Newt Gingrich Proposes Ways For Trump To Enforce Immigration Law And Still Keep Public Trust (Screenshot/Fox Business)

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich urged President Donald Trump on Monday to pursue a tougher but more disciplined approach to immigration enforcement.

Trump said Monday that he directed White House border czar Tom Homan to travel to Minnesota, as protests intensified  following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during separate encounters with federal immigration authorities. Asked about the violence and unrest in Minneapolis and the broader tension surrounding immigration enforcement, Gingrich said on “Kudlow” that the president should initiate a national dialogue that distinguishes between hardened criminals and long-settled migrants who have lived peacefully in the United States for years.

“A vast majority agrees that if you are a genuine criminal then we should get you out of the country. We don’t have to have murderers, rapists, drug dealers, gang members in the United States,” Gingrich told host Larry Kudlow. “But I think as a country, we believe, to quote Congressman [Elvira] Salazar, who said this is about dignity. Americans don’t want to see the police behaving like a mob. Americans don’t want to see people killed in the streets. And Americans don’t want to see the kind of hunting down of people in a way that really demeans the process.”

Gingrich said that the country needs a serious conversation about immigrants who arrived decades ago, followed the law, paid taxes, raised families, and embedded themselves in local communities.

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“So I think there are two things. We need a national conversation about what we’re going to do about people who’ve come here, some of them 20 years ago, who’ve been obeying the law, paying taxes, good neighbors, have kids, go to PTA. Very few Americans want to see the police walk in and pick them up and deport them,” Gingrich added. “On the other hand, people do not want to give them citizenship. So there should be some middle ground here on long-term goals. Second, the ICE police, who I’m totally for, and I do not believe state and local governments have the right to interfere with federal officers in the pursuit of legal policies. And these are all legal.”

Still, Gingrich said enforcement agencies could strengthen public trust through better preparation.

“I think that they may well need more training, a little more restraint. I used to talk with British officers and soldiers who’ve been patrolling Northern Ireland, where you really had a difficult problem, because you went to a totally nice neighborhood, and 30 seconds later somebody fired a shot at you,” Gingrich added. “How do you respond responsibly? And I think we may need a greater training program at ICE, but I absolutely believe that the federal government has the obligation to enforce the law and that anybody who tries to stop it is engaged in insurrection.”

Border Patrol Commander at Large Gregory Bovino is expected to depart Minnesota by Tuesday, according to reports that cite unnamed administration officials. Bovino, who oversaw federal agents during the Department of Homeland Security’s expanded operations in Minneapolis, has emerged as a prominent public figure tied to the White House’s nationwide immigration push.

Trump said Monday that he spoke by phone with Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, describing the exchange as productive as tensions continue in the state.

“Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Trump said on Truth Social. “I told Governor Walz that I would have Tom Homan call him, and that what we are looking for are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession. The Governor, very respectfully, understood that, and I will be speaking to him in the near future.”

(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/Fox Business)