Thread: Romney’s push against amnesty makes immigration a defining issue

By Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times
Wednesday, January 11, 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Mitt Romney collected the endorsements Wednesday of the architect of Arizona’s immigration-crackdown law, marking the final step on a journey that has taken him from lukewarm support of legalization to the Republican presidential field’s most ardent opponent of amnesty.


And with Mr. Romney inching closer to wrapping up the GOP’s nomination, it sets up what would be the strongest contrast ever between the two major parties’ candidates on immigration.


“Romney stands head and shoulders above the crowd,” Kris W. Kobach, Kansas’ secretary of state and the architect of the Arizona law, told The Washington Times, praising Mr. Romney for treading where other Republican candidates have refused to go. “Immigration is one of those issues that will appear to be a hot button — some elected officials who are afraid of offending anyone will avoid taking tough stands on immigration, and he took a tough stand.”


Mr. Kobach’s endorsement follows those of other leaders in the immigration crackdown movement, including Bay Buchanan, who ran Tom Tancredo’s presidential campaign in 2008 and who is the sister of former presidential candidate Patrick J. Buchanan.


It’s no surprise that the issue is popping up with 10 days to go before Republicans vote in South Carolina’s primary. South Carolina has passed its own Arizona-style law seeking to make illegal immigration a crime, giving state and local authorities police powers, and Republican primary voters in the state are overwhelmingly in favor of it.


The Obama administration has sued to halt the South Carolina and Arizona laws, as well as similar laws in Utah and Alabama, and those cases are winding their way through federal courts.


Mr. Romney and others in the Republican presidential field have said they support the states’ efforts, and Newt Gingrich on Wednesday told South Carolina voters that one of his first actions as president would be to drop the lawsuits.


Still, those who favor a crackdown on illegal immigration say Mr. Romney has emerged as their clear favorite over the past few years. He has embraced the use of E-Verify, the government’s voluntary system for checking work status; has talked about attrition of the numbers of illegal immigrants in the country through enforcement of laws; has called for building more border fencing; and has embraced state efforts to pick up enforcement where the federal government has failed.


Most of all, he adamantly vowed to block legalization bills. He recently said he would veto the Dream Act, which would grant legal status to illegal-immigrant students and young adults, who are usually considered the toughest cases because many of them were brought to the U.S. by parents and have never known any other country.


“He has held the line 100 percent on this amnesty stuff,” said Roy Beck, executive director of NumbersUSA, which grades the candidates on the issue.


Immigrant rights advocates said all of that makes for a stark contrast with Mr. Obama, and will make it tough for Mr. Romney to win Hispanic votes in November.


“Honestly, the Obama campaign must be doing high-fives. This guy is handing them the Hispanic vote when Obama is vulnerable with Hispanic voters,” said Frank Sharry, founder of immigrant rights advocacy group America’s Voice. “To me, it’s political malfeasance. He should be charged and found guilty by a jury of his peers.”


Mr. Sharry said Mr. Romney has changed on this issue. Before his first presidential campaign, he complimented President George W. Bush’s legalization plans and praised Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who led the Senate fight for legalization.


But by the end of his time as governor of Massachusetts, Mr. Romney had vetoed a bill offering in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants and signed an agreement with federal authorities that would have allowed state and local police to assist in immigration enforcement. In the 2008 campaign, he ran ads in Iowa attacking Mr. McCain on immigration.


In between that campaign and this one, Mr. Sharry said, Mr. Romney’s strategists reconsidered and decided to de-emphasize stances on abortion, gay marriage and immigration.

Romney's push against amnesty makes immigration a defining issue - Washington Times

Immigrant rights advocates said all of that makes for a stark contrast with Mr. Obama, and will make it tough for Mr. Romney to win Hispanic votes in November.

This fastest growing voting bloc is 8% to 15% depending on how many illegals get to vote! I don't think he's to worried about it Mr. Sharry!

“Honestly, the Obama campaign must be doing high-fives. This guy is handing them the Hispanic vote when Obama is vulnerable with Hispanic voters,” said Frank Sharry, founder of immigrant rights advocacy group America’s Voice. “To me, it’s political malfeasance. He should be charged and found guilty by a jury of his peers.”

That little trick won't work on Mitt Romney Frank Sharry! Romny has the real polling data in hand that he paid for himself.

He knows that a majority of America's LEGAL Hispanics oppose Dream and Comprehensive Amnesty as do about 66% to 80% of all Americans truth be known.

If Mitt Romney wins the GOP Primary and flip flops to support Amnesty then a big segment of the Conservative base will go 3rd party and Obama will win.

If Romney wins the primary and stays tough on illegal immigration all the way to November, Obama is toast!

W

Originally Posted by stevetheroofer

This fastest growing voting bloc is 8% to 15% depending on how many illegals get to vote! I don't think he's to worried about it Mr. Sharry!

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Prediction: Obama Will Savage Romney

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

August 15, 2011

Please make it clear to the GOP and GOP voters that if they send us * another George Bush or John McCain * on immigration matters that they will be handing the White House back to Obama.

The 2012 Latino vote (not going to be Republican)
http://www.alipac.us/threads/244851-The-2012-Latino-vote-%28not-going-to-be-Republican%29

(VIDEO AT SOURCE)

But guess what: No way will any of us vote for the Republicans in 2012.

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

That little trick won't work on Mitt Romney Frank Sharry! Romny has the real polling data in hand that he paid for himself.

He knows that a majority of America's LEGAL Hispanics oppose Dream and Comprehensive Amnesty as do about 66% to 80% of all Americans truth be known.

If Mitt Romney wins the GOP Primary and flip flops to support Amnesty then a big segment of the Conservative base will go 3rd party and Obama will win.

If Romney wins the primary and stays tough on illegal immigration all the way to November, Obama is toast!

W

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Do Romney family roots in Mexico have any bearing on how Romney might handle amnesty, if elected?

Surprise, surprise! Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman are cousins

Mitt Romney's father born in Mexico

Originally Posted by HAPPY2BME

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Do Romney family roots in Mexico have any bearing on how Romney might handle amnesty, if elected?

Surprise, surprise! Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman are cousins

Mitt Romney's father born in Mexico

George Romney's parents were U.S. citizen's. Normally this would have allowed him to have dual citizenship, but Mexico did not like Americans and would not allow him to have Mexican Citizenship because of what they refer to as a Birth by Heritage law. There were no anchor baby laws in Mexico if your parents were not Mexican citizens born in Mexico you could not be a citizen of Mexico. His father and his grandparents came back to the U.S. when he was 5 years old.

Romney has bought a home in San Diego and I believe some or one of his sons also live there. He has spoken of the change in his feelings towards the immigration issue and securing the border after going to the border with the border patrol and seeing first hand and listening to what they told him.

Romney has bought a home in San Diego and I believe some or one of his sons also live there. He has spoken of the change in his feelings towards the immigration issue and securing the border after going to the border with the border patrol and seeing first hand and listening to what they told him.

Interesting MontereySherry! Knew well about his nice home in La Jolla but did not know about his change due to actually going to the border. It is a trip every politican should take. The double layer fence here in San Diego is a huge success, pushed most of the illegal traffic inland as many of you know.

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Mitt Romney -- Patriot Rating: 6

Pros: Executive experience as governor; strong appearance; quick on his feet; smooth talker; high profile with the public, stemming from his 2008 presidential candidacy; accomplished businessman; acts, speaks and looks presidential; good family man; appeals to centrists; deep pockets (personal and campaign); big-name supporters; campaign organization and experience; old enough to have gravitas, not old enough to look like John McCain; good speaker; great command of most issues.
Cons: Big government establishment Republican; RomneyCare and all associated baggage; mirrors Democrat tax policies; political inheritance as son of George Romney (former governor of Michigan and 1968 presidential candidate); no military service; high-profile flip-flops on key conservative issues (gun control, global warming, abortion, homosexual "unions," health care); Massachusetts moderate; left of George W. Bush.

The Patriot's 2012 GOP Candidate Ratings - Alexander's Essays - PatriotPost.US

I believe Mitt Romney is the man on illegal immigration and trade. He will do what he says on these issues because he understands the high cost of both on our nation, probably better than any candidate since Dwight Eisenhower.

Fellow Republicans, it's time to give Newt the Boot. And, for those who still think Newt Gingrich is great, just remember, he was in Congress as the Minority Whip of the US House of Representatives and then Speaker of the House pushing NAFTA down our throats while Mitt Romney was working at Bain Capital. That one legislation which Newt supported, promoted and I'm sure used his power positions to twist arms to pass has cost the American People over 5 million jobs and led to the incestuous relations with Mexico and Canada that opened both borders to suck our nation dry with unfair trade and massive illegal immigration.

Furthermore, it was Newt and NAFTA that caused many of the problems for the troubled manufacturing companies Mitt Romney and Bain Capital tried to fix.

Can you imagine how hard it was for some of these companies to survive after NAFTA passed? Bain couldn't save them all, even with restructuring, even with reorganization.

In the 90's, Mitt wasn't Minority Whip and Speaker of the House of the US House of Representatives passing Free Trade Treason Agreements under the false pretense of a "Contract with America", that was Newt Gingrich.

No, Mitt was just a bright guy running a business consulting, management and venture capital company helping troubled companies try to pick up the pieces.

There are few people in America, and no one in this Presidential race, who knows more about the adverse impact of free trade treason and massive illegal immigration on American Business and the American Worker than Mitt Romney.

I've lost all respect for Newt Gingrich over this unfair and dishonest attack on Mitt Romney over his work at Bain Capital. Mitt Romney didn't fail the American People passing NAFTA. Newt Gingrich and others did that.

Who should be President? The one who helped pass the law that caused the grief for the companies that threatened all those jobs to begin with? Or the one who used his skills and capital to try to save them and in fact did save most of them?

Duh.

Read some of Newt's statements in his floor comments supporting NAFTA here:

Newt Gingrich - Trade Policy