Romney Touts Immigration to Hispanics
Romney Touts Immigration to Hispanics
By ANDREW MIGA
The Associated Press
Sunday, July 22, 2007; 12:11 PM
WASHINGTON -- Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney praised the virtues of faith, family values and immigration as he courted Hispanic voters.
"If you say, name people who are hardworking, seek education, love God, love their families and value freedom, -- it's Hispanic-Americans, just like other Americans," Romney told a crowd at the Republican National Hispanic Assembly's annual convention.
Praising Hispanics as "quintessentially American," the former Massachusetts governor said the nation's immigration policy should help open doors for people with such strong beliefs.
"I want to make sure we continue an open door in immigration that welcomes people who come here with those kinds of values," he said.
During an Iowa visit last week, Romney struck a hard line on illegal immigration. He criticized GOP rival and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for making the city "a sanctuary city for illegal aliens" by failing to enforce the immigration laws on the books. Also in his Iowa remarks, Romney noted that as governor, he deputized state police to enforce immigration laws and denied driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
Candidates in both major parties are reaching out to Hispanic voters, underscoring their status as the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the 2008 campaign.
Romney said Republicans should not cede the Latino vote to Democrats. Though Hispanics tend to favor Democrats in national elections, President Bush got about 40 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2004.
"It's very important that we as a party communicate how much we value immigration," he told the breakfast audience.
Romney has been seeking support from the Hispanic community in Florida and elsewhere. He hired a Spanish-language media adviser in Florida. He also ran a radio ad targeting Spanish-speaking voters.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 00398.html
