Mitt Romney would allow waivers to children of illegal immigrants
By Allison Sherry The Denver Post
10/1/12

Young illegal immigrants who receive temporary work permits to stay in the United States under an executive order issued by President Barack Obama would not be deported under a Mitt Romney administration, the GOP presidential hopeful told The Denver Post Monday.

"The people who have received the special visa that the president has put in place, which is a two-year visa, should expect that the visa would continue to be valid. I'm not going to take something that they've purchased," Romney said. "Before those visas have expired we will have the full immigration reform plan that I've proposed."

In June, Obama issued an executive order that will allow the so-called "dreamers" — kids who were brought here by their illegal immigrant parents when they were young — a temporary reprieve from deportation if they stay out of trouble and meet certain requirements such as graduating from a U.S. high school.

The Obama administration has sharply criticized Romney's earlier ideas for immigration reform, which have called for all citizens living in the U.S. illegally to self-deport.

Romney said in a sit-down interview with The Post aboard his campaign bus ahead of a Denver rally that he would work with Congress in the first year to pass permanent immigration reform legislation.
He didn't furnish specifics on that plan, but has said in previous interviews that students who served in the military may get a path to citizenship.

"I actually will propose a piece of legislation which will reform our immigration system to improve legal immigration so people don't have to hire lawyers to figure out how to get here legally," Romney said. "The president promised in his first year, his highest priority, that he would reform immigration and he didn't. And I will."

Obama's order mirrors the "DREAM" Act, which has been dead on arrival in every Congress that's tried to pass it. It was blocked by Senate Republicans two years ago.

Mitt Romney would allow waivers to children of illegal immigrants - The Denver Post