GOP Debate: Romney Aide Struggles To Answer Immigration Question While Attacking Gingrich

A top Mitt Romney aide repeatedly struggled to explain the candidate's stance on immigration on Tuesday, even as he attacked Newt Gingrich's position on the same topic.

At the AEI/Heritage Foundation debate in Washington D.C., Gingrich refused to support deporting the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the United States.

"I do not believe that the people of the United States are going to take people who have been here a quarter century, who have children and grandchildren, who are members of the community, who may have done something 25 years ago, separate them from their families, and expel them," he said.

After the debate, Gingrich defended his position, telling CNN, "I can't imagine any serious person who will walk down the street, see someone they know for 20 years and say, 'You're leaving your family, you're leaving your church, you're leaving the community... and we are kicking you out forcibly.'"

The stance is unpopular with many in the Republican party and could cause the former House Speaker to take a hit in the polls.

In the spin room following the debate, Romney adviser and spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom took a shot at Gingrich's position.

"Newt Gingrich supported the 1986 amnesty act, and even though he conceded that was a mistake, he said that he was willing to repeat that mistake, by extending amnesty to immigrants who are illegally in the country today," Fehrnstrom told the Washington Examiner. "Mitt Romney is against amnesty, and Newt Gingrich made it very clear he was for amnesty."

When Examiner reporter Philip Klein asked whether the former Massachusetts governor believed in deporting undocumented immigrants, Fehrnstrom repeated, "He doesn't believe in granting them amnesty."

Asked again what Romney would do with immigrants who are currently living in the Unites States illegally, Fehrnstrom once more evaded the question. The back and forth repeated itself, and it was only after a sixth round of questioning that Fehrnstrom finally mentioned anything beyond the "amnesty" talking point.

"Well, if you cut off their employment, if they can't get work, if they can't get benefits like in state tuition, they will leave," he said.

Read the full exchange at the Washington Examiner, and read HuffPost's complete debate coverage here.

LISTEN:

 

 

Comments

[Jamgrae]

12:32 PM on 12/16/2011

It's hillarious to see Mitt (corporations are people too) Romney and Newt (down with child labor laws)Gingrich try to prove who is the richest during the GOP presidential debate. But in each of the candidates, none of them have a plan to bring up the middle class...just the same old spill about how to increase the wealth of the rich. Yet, it's probably middle class conservatives who will try to put one of them in the White House. Middle class conservatives would rather try to "prove a point" rather than vote their best interests....as usual. All the main GOP candidates want more tax breaks for the rich...they support Paul Ryan's Medicare-killing bill (which the GOP passed in the House)....and they want to repeal the Health Care plan that has kept companies from yanking your kids off coverage. Do they support a guy who the economy was dumped on, do they support a guy who proposed a massive jobs plan that the GOP have blocked in an economy with 8.6 unemployment...........NO. They'd rather support the BLOCKERS of Teachers, Policemen and Firefighters get jobs. they'd rather support the BLOCKERS of our failing infrastructure. They'd rather put the decision to throw our kids off coverage whenever they choose to back in the hands of the "caring" insurance companies. It's as if the conservatives are all just a bunch of cultists with no aim but the destruction of our American way of life.

[BFind]

06:30 PM on 11/28/2011

In the immigration for the GOP if they don't come out and say,I will send the people who brack the law to there home..If not I will not vote for them.

[manners110]

04:53 PM on 11/25/2011

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2011/04/06/new-bill-seeks-to-put-a-stop-to-%e2%80%9cmaternity-tourism%e2%80%9d/

[nuser]

12:12 PM on 11/25/2011

Are you all aware that Romney flipped flopped yet again on the illegal immigration issue? If not google it!

[lambdin1]

12:02 PM on 11/25/2011

It must be hard to answer for a candidate that flip flops as much as Mitt does. What you say today may change tonight. Definitely tomorrow!

[Jamgrae]

12:34 PM on 12/16/2011

Sounds just like Newt Gingrich...two sides on the same rotten coin.

[dougded]

09:58 AM on 11/25/2011

I wish you guys would honest up, our President, his vice pres, many Senators and Representatives have done all kinds of stupid stuff, but ya;ll just use the convient to your agenda, nothing more. 57 states, corpse instead of core,come on!!! this is bunk of the cheapest kind. And when are you going to start telling the truth about anything?????? 11millions illegals? We all know better than that, how about 25 to 27 million. There are 11 million in Orange county California.

[WriteNow1]

10:25 AM on 11/25/2011

Doug, you said earlier that the your ICE friends said Obama told them to leave the illegals alone. YOu are going to have to cite your source with a little more credibility on that one. During the Obama administration, there have been more deportations than any other administration in history! Then you said that there "are 11 million" illegal immigrants in Orange County. Wow. Do you know what the entire population is of Orange County? Sounds like you are trying a little too hard. Maybe listen to Perry and Newt on the issue of immigration for a rational plan.

[nixthetrix]

02:47 PM on 11/24/2011

President Reagan signed into law an amnesty for about 2.7 million illegal immigrants and he is still revered . I find it amusing that none of the candidates mentioned this in the debate . How could it be that none of them want to be associated with the most popular republican president of the past 30 or so years ?

[NuRock71]

07:34 AM on 11/25/2011

The most popular but not perfect republican president, yes but that policy never achieved its stated goals and many believe it to be a failed policy. Romney is targeting his current most serious opponent like a politician, but like everyone else lacks a comprensive policy of his own.

[WriteNow1]

02:19 PM on 11/24/2011

Guess how many employers have been prosecuted for hiring illegal immigrants over the last thirty years. Right. None.

[dougded]

10:01 AM on 11/25/2011

Are you kidding, just come out of hibenation? That is the only thing this adminstration has prosecuted. I have ICE agent friends, they have been told by Napolitano to leave them alone, the illegals, that is.

[Jamgrae]

12:49 PM on 12/16/2011

YOU have ICE friends? Is that anything like the people who had "friends" in Canada who opposed the Obama Health Care plan when the Health Care bill was being passed...."perhaps the same friends?" Can't wait for those "friends" to come out with their birth certificates to prove they even exist on this planet. (LOL)

[JessieMick]

01:06 PM on 11/24/2011

They are too funny- Really, all the candidates stink this year. They really make that youtube video (The Best of the Republican Candidates 4 Million Debates of 2012) TRUE!!

[herenow12]

11:03 AM on 11/24/2011

How many teabaggers will stuff their faces with immigrant-grown produce today?

[herenow12]

10:50 AM on 11/24/2011

Deport all mormons and their harems.

[mjc]

10:29 AM on 11/24/2011

Even though Romney has been completely low key through the months of campaigning for the Republican nomination, for some reason he stands almost with Herman Cain in making statements that just don't jive, statements that seem to point to no real research into the issues the statements are suppose to address. Maybe Eric Fenrnstrom is the aide NOT doing the research for Romney. Romney ran in 2007 for the Republican nomination and certainly should know his way around debates, reporters' questions, etcetera. But, as he did then, he switches stands on certain issues, defends SOME of his record as a governor but never seems to stay permanently on an issue. Cain, on the other hand, doesn't really apologize for his gaffes and just knuckles his way through his defense.

[Leon Holston Sr]

10:00 AM on 11/24/2011

i have the answer to gingrich saying we should not break up families by sending illegal aliens back ,to mexico.take the family with you and you will all be together.so stop the excuse and get to spepping.

[Jamgrae]

12:50 PM on 12/16/2011

Does that mean you'll support the other simpleton...Romney?

[Leon Holston Sr]

09:26 PM on 12/16/2011

i have no clear answer.it is six of one and half dozen of the other.who mis the lesser of two evils?

[VetKor51]

08:23 AM on 11/24/2011

The question to ask ALL candidates is "What would you do with the illegal immigrants who have been here for years with their families?"

[Scent]

03:42 AM on 11/24/2011

We Americans have raped the world of its natural resources and profitted from treading literally billions on this planet into poverty and when a few of them come to America to do hard work for chump change they are a toll on US?

The arrogance and blatant imperialism America treats the reast of the world with will come back to haunt us unles we start acting like humans and not like parasites on the planet.

Americans do not even fight beack when insurance corporations profit from letting 24000 Americans die every years for profit. In other nations MILLIONS died for our profit. We are not the richest nation on earth because we are oh so productive. We are the richest nations on eearth because we stole anything from anyone all over the planet.

I have gone to Iraq to fight for freedom and found out I fought for the profit of parasites.

Giving back a fraction of what we stole is unpopular. But not finding a way to level out the problems we created by stealing from everyone will turn into them TAKING it.

And I for one will NEVER AGAIN fire a bullet for the profit of the same parasites that take rights at home I thought I was fighting for in Iraq. I might start fighting for the people though. And I for one do not make a difference between victims from the US or Mexico. I will fight the criminals, not fellow victims.

[Jamgrae]

01:00 PM on 12/16/2011

And for all that you have wrote with your heart, and all the truths expressed in your statements, the GOP will answer you with only two words.....SO WHAT?