Thread: Mitt Warns Illegals: 'Get Off My Lawn'

Mitt Warns Illegals: 'Get Off My Lawn'

http://blog.washingtonpost.com

There are those people in both parties who are in a sanctuary state of mind, who believe in sanctuary cities, who believe in policies which are sanctuary in nature."


As a presidential candidate, Mitt Romney has made a big political issue out of his opposition to illegal immigration, lambasting Democratic and Republican rivals alike for failing to crack down on the phenomenon. He has accused Rudy Giuliani of allowing New York to become a "sanctuary city." Yesterday, he denounced Hillary Clinton as an "open border Democrat." But his own record as governor of Massachusetts in cracking down on illegals was patchy. Do we detect a whiff of hypocrisy here?



The Facts


Illegal immigration was not a big issue for Romney when he was elected governor of Massachusetts in 2002. He vetoed a proposal to allow the children of illegal immigrants to benefit from in-state tuition rates at local universities and opposed the idea of drivers licenses for illegals. But in a November 2005 interview with the Boston Globe, he appeared to support suggestions for immigration reform advanced by Arizona Sen. John McCain, describing them as "reasonable proposals."



Romney's positions hardened in 2006, toward the end of his four year term as governor, as he thought about running for president. That summer, the Romney administration began talking to the Department of Homeland Security about authorizing state troopers to detain undocumented immigrants. An agreement was signed in December 13, 2006, three weeks before the end of his term, but was rescinded by his Democratic successor before it could go into force.



The tougher position on illegal immigrants followed publication of a June 18, 2006 Boston Globe article describing how the state was paying millions of dollars to contractors who employed undocumented workers. An even greater embarrassment came in December when the Globe discovered that illegal immigrants from Guatemala had been tending the Romneys' 2 1/2 acre grounds for a period of eight years. Romney said he was unaware of the situation and blamed the contractor.



"Sanctuary cities" are certainly on Romney's mind these days. But he did not take any action to penalize towns in Massachusetts that adopted "sanctuary" policies toward illegal immigrants while he was governor. At least half a dozen Massachusetts communities, including Brookline, Somerville, and Cambridge, adopted resolutions encouraging illegal immigrants to make use of city services and report crimes to the police.



"We never heard from him on this issue," the mayor of Somerville, Joseph Curtatone, told me yesterday, when I called him to check up on what Romney had actually done against "sanctuary cities" as governor. "I never heard him talk about 'sanctuary cities,' until now. As far as I know, he never took a position on this."



Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said it was up to the federal government--not the state government--to take action to negate the sanctuary laws of towns like Somerville. "The problem with sanctuary cities like the one mayor Giuliani ran in New York City, is that they ignore FEDERAL immigration law, not state law," Madden said in an e-mail.



It is true that responsibility for enforcing federal law rests primarily with the federal government. But Romney's own eagerness to authorize state police to pursue illegal immigrants would appear to undermine the claim that he had no influence over "sanctuary cities."



Speaking of Romney's statements on immigration, it seems an exaggeration to accuse Hillary Clinton of favoring an "open border." Her platform includes proposals for increased border security and "stopping the flow of undocumented immigrants."


The Pinocchio Test


Romney's attempts to position himself as "the anti-illegal immigration candidate" are reminiscent of his attempts to establish himself as the "pro-gun," "pro-life" candidate. See my earlier look at his twists and turns on the abortion issue. Senator McCain captured the hypocrisy best when he joked that Romney's immigration policies boiled down to a wish to "get out his small-varmint gun and drive those Guatemalans off his lawn."

And if it comes down to Romney and Clinton?

We're screwed.

The title of this should be, "Romney warns illegals to get off my lawn. After the press has gone home, please come back and finish my yard."

Flip flop head...