Romney Wants ‘Latitude’ for States on Immigration
June 25, 2012, 3:59 PM.
Romney Wants ‘Latitude’ for States on Immigration.
PHOENIX–Mitt Romney said the Supreme Court’s immigration ruling Monday stripped states of some authority, but didn’t clarify whether he supports the Arizona immigration law.
“Now you probably heard today there was a Supreme Court decision relating to immigration and, you know, given the failure of the immigration policy in this country, I would have preferred to see the Supreme Court give more latitude to the states not less,” Mr. Romney told donors at a Scottsdale, Ariz., fundraiser. “And there are states now under this decision have less authority, less latitude, to enforce immigration laws.”
Breaking his silence from earlier in the day, Mr. Romney still did not address whether he supports the controversial Arizona immigration law or offer more detailed thoughts on the four provisions the court evaluated. Instead he took aim at President Barack Obama for failing to pass a comprehensive immigration overhaul.
“And because he didn’t act, states and localities have tried to act and now the court’s trying to get into it and sort things out and it’s a muddle,” Mr. Romney said. “It’s a muddle because he failed to do what he said he’d do. Why? Why didn’t he do it? Why has he been there three and a half years and no one has called him to task for not answering that question?”
The presumptive GOP nominee also took the opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to legal immigration.
“Immigration is a great source of vitality and strength for our economy. We are a nation of immigrants, people coming here legally, going to work here, starting businesses,” Mr. Romney said. “I welcome legal immigration.”
Mr. Romney had stayed quiet about his position on the ruling earlier in the day. After the court’s ruling Monday morning, Mr. Romney issued a statement that neither cheered nor decried the decision and offered no specificity on his views about the four provisions the court evaluated. (While one was upheld, three others were struck down.)
“Today’s decision underscores the need for a President who will lead on this critical issue and work in a bipartisan fashion to pursue a national immigration strategy,” Mr. Romney said in a written statement. “President Obama has failed to provide any leadership on immigration. This represents yet another broken promise by this President. I believe that each state has the duty–and the right–to secure our borders and preserve the rule of law, particularly when the federal government has failed to meet its responsibilities.”
The presumptive GOP nominee has been working to soften his rhetoric on immigration, and has moved cautiously. His lack of a position on the court’s ruling was particularly striking as Mr. Romney was in Phoenix Monday, the launch point for the strict legislation.
In its ruling, the Supreme court struck down much of the Arizona law, but upheld the law’s directive that state and local police check the immigration status of people they stop when they suspect them of lacking authorization to be in the U.S.
Before Mr. Romney made his comments at the Scottsdale fundraiser, Rick Gorka, a traveling press secretary for the Romney campaign, refused to address whether Mr. Romney agreed with the Supreme Court’s ruling or whether the candidate supports the Arizona immigration law.
“The governor supports the rights of states. That’s all we’re going to say on this issue,” Mr. Gorka said. Pressed further, he said “each state has the right, within the Constitution, to craft their own immigration laws since the federal government has failed.”
President Obama offered more detailed statements on the decision Monday and pushed Congress to take on comprehensive immigration reform.
“I am pleased that the Supreme Court has struck down key provisions of Arizona’s immigration law,” Mr. Obama said in a statement. “At the same time, I remain concerned about the practical impact of the remaining provision of the Arizona law that requires local law enforcement officials to check the immigration status of anyone they even suspect to be here illegally. I agree with the Court that individuals cannot be detained solely to verify their immigration status. No American should ever live under a cloud of suspicion just because of what they look like.” (See the full Obama and Romney statements.)
During the GOP primaries, Mr. Romney dubbed an Arizona immigration law a model for the nation, but his campaign said he was simply referring to a provision that requires employers to check the legal status of new hires. He also advocated for self-deportation for the roughly 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.
In a Mesa, Ariz., debate in February, Mr. Romney said, “the right course for America is to drop these lawsuits against Arizona and other states that are trying to do the job Barack Obama isn’t doing. And I will drop those lawsuits on day one.”
Pivoting to the general election, Mr. Romney has toned down his rhetoric as both parties try to appeal to Hispanics, a key voting bloc.
Offering a more detailed view of his immigration plans last week, Mr. Romney advocated for a green card program designed to keep families together, a path to legal status for young, illegal immigrants who join the military and a plan to allow those with advanced degrees to stay in the U.S. In the same speech he pushed for more stringent border control, including tougher regulations to ensure workers are in the country legally.
But Mr. Romney has skirted more-specific immigration questions, an indication of the delicate balance he must strike to appease conservatives and appeal to Hispanics. After the president issued an executive order to stop deportation for younger immigrants whose parents brought them to the U.S. illegally, Mr. Romney repeatedly dodged questions about whether he would repeal the order if he were president.
The campaign chartered a plane Monday so national press would be readily on hand for Mr. Romney’s comments in the event of a Supreme Court decision. Mr. Gorka said the charter flight was in anticipation of a ruling on Mr. Obama’s health-care law.
“We were very clear that this was about Obamacare,” Mr. Gorka said. “We do this as a favor to you guys to make it easier.”
Members of the press pay for their own seats when they fly with the candidate.
Romney Wants ‘Latitude’ for States on Immigration - Washington Wire - WSJ
