Let’s be humane. That’s the message that Newt Gingrich delivered during the GOP debate on 11/22/11.
FOXNews.com quotes Gingrich as saying, “I don’t see how the party that says it’s the party of family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families which have been here a quarter century and I’m prepared to take the heat for saying let’s be humane in enforcing the law.”
The comment “let’s be humane” reminds me of a statement found in the TANAK* book of Micah:
“What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. ”
If the Republican Party is going to craft an immigration policy that will have broad appeal, then the GOP is going to have craft a policy that includes both justice and mercy, which is what Gingrich is advocating.
As I see it, when it comes to the topic of immigration, the eventual GOP presidential nominee needs to say something like this:
“Congress needs to produce immigration laws that are both just and humane. The White House needs to craft an immigration policy that is both just and humane. As President, I will work to make these things happen.”
Democrats would have a difficult time explaining any opposition the above-suggested statement.
[*The TANAK is also called the Old Testament.]
