For two decades the government of the United States has been unable to control U.S. borders, while many U.S. businesses have profited by breaking the law. In turn, the U.S. government’s failure to enforce immigration laws has encouraged outright defiance of federal authority by certain state and local jurisdictions. Adding to this problem is an immigration bureaucracy that has often been slow, inefficient, and uncompassionate. It is understandable that those living and working here illegally—especially those who have lived and worked here illegally for a long period of time—are anxious and fearful about the future.

At this event, former House Speaker and AEI senior fellow Newt Gingrich will share his thoughts on immigration. He views the thousands of people seen marching in the streets of U.S. cities over immigration policy as the product of two decades of a fundamentally dishonest immigration system. As Congress continues its debate on immigration policy, Mr. Gingrich will outline his view that while our two-decade-long failure does not mean we are required to maintain a dishonest system, it does mean we must have a humanitarian period of transition as we replace an illegal pattern of immigration with a legal one. He will provide his vision for moving the country toward a new system of patriotic immigration to control our borders and ensure that new immigrants learn to be American.