http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.a ... E_ID=44738

How Gingrich would secure border
Former speaker opposes using military forces

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Posted: June 13, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern




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© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, considered a possible contender for the 2008 Republican presidential sweepstakes, says he opposes using U.S. military forces to secure the border with Mexico, though he favors "dramatically" increasing the size of the Border Patrol.

In a videotaped interview with Trey Jackson, Gingrich said: "I believe we should have as large a border patrol as we need to secure the border. I don't think you should use the military any place that puts it in close contact with civilians or puts it in close contact with money. Because you don't want to corrupt the military. You want the military to remain the defender of the Republic and if you get them too deeply involved in the border, there is a danger of corruption that is very dangerous to the long term future of the military."


"But I would dramatically increase the size of the border patrol," he added. "I would invest in technology to be able to have absolute control of both the borders and the coastline and I would have rules that would enable us to control the border."

Sounding more like a presidential candidate than ever before, Gingrich was asked about his recent efforts at working constructively with the likely 2008 Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

"Just because you plan to beat someone in a future election, doesn't mean you can't work with them now," Gingrich said.

In April, Gingrich called the situation at the border "absurd."

"I don't think we're stepping up to the plate on a whole series of big challenges, and [the border] is one of them," Gingrich said. "You can't have the director of central intelligence, Porter Goss, testify publicly to the Congress that he's genuinely afraid that a weapon of mass destruction, a nuclear weapon, is going to come across the border, and then do nothing about it. I think it's absurd."


Gingrich is urging people to contact federal lawmakers and urge them to take the matter seriously.

"It's not a Republican issue or Democrat issue," Gingrich said. "Everybody said after 9-11, 'Oh my gosh, why didn't they warn us?' Now you've had the director of central intelligence say as plainly and as clearly as anyone could say that a weapon could come across either the Canadian or Mexican border in a truck or a car, [which] could take out a good part of a city. I think we should be reacting to that. I think we should be making a national security investment in gaining control of our border."

The Republican from Georgia, who developed the Contract With America plan, said laws should be changed to deport people who are in the U.S. illegally within 72 hours. He also suggested a green card program for honest workers, involving some sort of biometric identifier such as an iris scan, and he expressed support for the Minuteman Project.

"I'm very sympathetic with the volunteers who are trying to help the Border Patrol. I think before anybody in government criticizes them, they ought to fund the Border Patrol strong enough and robust enough to have control of the border."