September 3, 2011

Romney takes tough line on immigration

Speaking in Tampa, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney tried to show he is tougher on immigration than his chief rival, Rick Perry

By ADAM C. SMITH

St. Petersburg Times


TAMPA -- With Rick Perry proving to be a serious threat to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, the former Massachusetts governor swung through Tampa on Friday to exploit what some Republicans see as Perry’s Achilles’ heel: immigration.

“We must stop providing the incentives that promote illegal immigration,’’ Romney told more than 100 people attending a Republican Hispanic conference. “As governor, I vetoed legislation that would have provided in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants and I strengthened the authority our state troopers had to enforce existing immigration laws.â€