Thread: Campaign adviser talks about Romney's stance on immigration

Posted on September 1, 2012
By Griselda Nevarez
voxxi.com

Immigration was left out off Mitt Romney’s speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention, disappointing many Latino voters who are still questioning where he stands on several issues related to the topic.

VOXXI spoke with Hector Barreto, one of Romney’s campaign advisors, during the convention last week and asked him a few questions about the Republican presidential candidate’s position.

VOXXI: What does Mitt Romney think about the Republican Party’s immigration platform? Is his plan with immigration aligned to the GOP platform?

BARRETO: Gov. Romney has laid out and has talked about many times his plan for immigration reform. Unfortunately, under this administration we got nothing. They promised us in the first year that it would be a top priority. We’re in the fourth year and they haven’t done anything even when they could and had a Congress they controlled.

What Romney has said is, ‘Look, I’m not going to make any failed promises to the Hispanic community, and I’m also not going to do things right before an election that really don’t have a long-term effect. He has said that when he gets in there, he’s going to create a plan that actually fixes the immigration system. Immigration is an important part of our economic system, but it needs to be a system that works, that is relevant to today and that is legal.

VOXXI: We still haven’t gotten a clear answer from Romney on whether he would repeal the deferred action program or not. What does he plan to do with this federal program is he’s elected?

BARRETO: What he has said is that he will have his own action, but it won’t be a short-term thing and it won’t be something that separates families the way that this one does. One of the things that we never talk about is what about the parents of these kids. What about the grandparents of these kids. We want to keep families together, so Romney has said that he will put his own solution out there.

One of the things that he’s looking for is a complete solution. He’s not trying to piece-meal it here and there but he really wants to try to fix it once and for all, and we’re very serious about that. This also isn’t something the president can do by himself. The president is not king. The president cannot wake up one day and say, ‘We’re going to have a new immigration system.’ A president can lead on that issue. A president can work with Congress to address that issue, and that is what Romney has said he’ll do.

VOXXI: Romney said that as president, he would veto the DREAM Act if Congress passed it. Is that still his position?

BARRETO: I think there is always confusion on this issue. There are lot of versions of the DREAM Act. What Romney has said and what a lot of other Hispanic leaders, like Marco Rubio, have said is that they do not support the current version that was being brought in Congress.

What Romney has said is that he wants to do something different. Like if somebody gets an advanced degree, for example, he wants to staple a green card to it. That’s never been said before. He said, ‘Look, if we have people in the military right now who don’t have status, we need to take them into consideration.

There are a lot of things we can do, but again, what he won’t do is pander to the Hispanic community. He won’t promise he’ll do something in his first year and not do it. He won’t throw things out there a couple of months before an election because it’s an election cycle. He will not do those things.

VOXXI: Does the Romney campaign have a goal of what percentage of the Latino vote it hopes will go toward Romney?

BARRETO: We don’t have an official goal. What we’ve said is that we have to fight for every single vote. We have to earn the vote. We cannot take it for granted. We’ve said many times that the Hispanic vote is going to be critical in this election, and we’re going to go after it.

VOXXI: What are your thoughts on the Hispanic outreach that we saw at the Republican National Convention?

BARRETO: It’s very exciting. This is my fourth convention in a row, and I’ve never seen the participation from the Latino community like I’ve seen here.

It’s also important to note that all of the new Hispanic talent is on the Republican side. It’s not on the Democratic side. They have one senator. After this next election, we’ll have another senator, Ted Cruz. We already have three governors and more congressman are going to be elected to Congress from the Hispanic community, so that’s an exciting thing. And the reason it’s exciting is because that’s the future of the party, that’s the bench.

When people say how is the Republican Party going to reach out to the Hispanic community, you’re seeing how the Hispanic community is going to reach out to the Republican community – with all of these leaders who have great stories. They can really communicate and talk to our community.

Campaign adviser talks about Romney's stance on immigration

BARRETO: What he has said is that he will have his own action, but it won’t be a short-term thing and it won’t be something that separates families the way that this one does. One of the things that we never talk about is what about the parents of these kids. What about the grandparents of these kids. We want to keep families together, so Romney has said that he will put his own solution out there.

I really hate this answer! It makes me think of the Simpson-Mazzoli Immigration Reform and Control Act Reagan threw at us and opened the flood gates for more border jumpers looking for the same "gift"!

Originally Posted by nomas

I really hate this answer! It makes me think of the Simpson-Mazzoli Immigration Reform and Control Act Reagan threw at us and opened the flood gates for more border jumpers looking for the same "gift"!

Romney has already said over and over again that there will be no pathway to citizenship (amnesty) for illegal aliens. Remember, this was a campaign ADVISOR speaking, not Romney. These folks can advise Romney all they want but that doesn't necessarily mean he is listening to every word they say. For example, how many of the RINOs were trying to shove Marco Rubio down Romney's throat as the perfect pick for VP? What I'm basically saying is Romney is his own man and he doesn't seem to heeding all the advise he's getting from others in his party.

Romney may be "his own man", but he is a loyal Mormon. And the LDS church has cast its lot with the open-borders La Raza activists. Because Mormon membership has plummted in recent years, and they are trying to build it up again using Hispanics. And they have no problem violating Mormon precepts to do it, embracing illegal aliens and pushing to bring even more in to become Mormons. This is why Russell Pearce was stopped - twice - in Arizona, each time the LDS put up open-borders Mormons against him and funded them 2:1.

This is about as plain as we will get out of political double-speak. Scary as hell itself. More evidence that neither major party can be restored to power if we want to se a nation of Americans, maintaned by Americans, of Aericans, for Americans.

Originally Posted by dogpile

Romney may be "his own man", but he is a loyal Mormon. And the LDS church has cast its lot with the open-borders La Raza activists. Because Mormon membership has plummted in recent years, and they are trying to build it up again using Hispanics. And they have no problem violating Mormon precepts to do it, embracing illegal aliens and pushing to bring even more in to become Mormons. This is why Russell Pearce was stopped - twice - in Arizona, each time the LDS put up open-borders Mormons against him and funded them 2:1.

It doesn't appear as if he is loyal to their (Mormon church) position on illegal immigration.

Immigration Divides Romney And His Church

Excerpt:


"The Hispanic Mormons that I know are not voting for him," said Rodriguez. "We think it's cool that a Mormon is running, but when it comes to it, most Hispanics' main issue is immigration and they are going to vote for the guy with the best policy. Romney seems like he just wants immigrants to go away."

Mitt Romney’s immigration plan Immigration On Mandating, and Enforcing, E-Verify Mitt Romney will develop?? an effective, mandatory employment verification system that will enable employers to be sure that those they hire are eligible to work.

On Obama's Dream Act fiat Bob SCHIEFFER: But would you repeal this? . . . ROMNEY: My anticipation is I’d come into office and say we need to get this done, on a long-term basis, not this kind of stop-gap measure. What the president did, he should have worked on this years ago, if he felt seriously about this he should have taken action when he had a Democrat House and Senate, but he didn’t. He saves these sort of things until four and a half months before the general election.

all this doubt and consternation could be solved if Romney simply came out and said what he was clearly going to do. He is allowing the waters around him to be muddied.

W

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

all this doubt and consternation could be solved if Romney simply came out and said what he was clearly going to do. He is allowing the waters around him to be muddied.

W

Exactly.

Oh. But perhaps we're wrong... Maybe it's all part of his grand strategy. Those geniuses over in his campaign know what they're doing and we just don't get it man. They're saving their best answers for last. If they can't get their Hispanic numbers up, they'll unleash Mitt Amnesty for ALL! And I don't expect the fools in the GOP establishment to stop him.

And it's clear that some Hispanic Mormons are either playing dumb or don't realize that Romney is attempting to relay to them, in whatever code language they use, that he's on their side, that Obama's plan is temporary and so he plans to pass a "long term solution" for "kids brought here through no fault of their own" *wink* *wink*(Romney's words, not mine). He speaks in vague terms so as to not be caught red handed by his staunch supporters, but those of us who know better understand his intentions.

ADDED TO ALIPAC HOMEPAGE News ..

http://www.alipac.us/content.php?r=8...on-immigration