The Romney Record: Immigration

Romney for President 2008 ^ | 5/18/07

[nowandlater]

Gov. Romney was not running for the presidency in 2005. His position then was in line with what most thought was the best way to deal with the 13-20 million immigrants who were already here. It was a practical, but incomplete, position. Since then, he has devoted himself to more study of this issue from a presidential perspective, taking into account the effects of illegal immigration on the nation as a whole.

Note how the Boston Globe quote highlights McCain’s name, but follows with “among others.” Was McCain’s position the one getting the most attention in 2005? Not at the time it wasn’t. But according to how the Globe writes it, McCain’s was the position to follow in the debate. Again, a propaganda tool to mislead the reader. In fact, McCain was not the one proposing this kind of resolution; he was simply following the lead of others. To say that Gov. Romney was simply echoing McCain’s 2005 stance is dishonest.

McCain’s position itself has “evolved” since 2005. Taking up with Kennedy on immigration demonstrates that, like with McCain-Feingold, McCain is more interested in compromising principles to get along with the Democrats than he is with establishing and fighting for a position that reflects American laws, traditions and values. There can be no compromise with liberals today because they have very different goals than do conservatives. It is no longer a debate over the best way to reach the same goal. The debate is now over the goal itself. McCain apparently does not understand that.

[nowandlater]

I hope you keep bringing up the immigration issue. There are just so many goodies to play with and most of them make Romney look really good.

I recommend you find a different topic to slam him.

[EternalVigilance]

Nah. Immigration is just one more Mitt-Flop.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/03/16/romneys_words_grow_hard_on_immigration/

McCain-Kennedy isn’t the answer,” Romney said in a well-received speech to conservatives in Washington this month, describing it as an amnesty plan that would reward people for breaking the law and cost taxpayers millions to provide them benefits.

But that is markedly different from how Romney once characterized McCain’s bill, elements of which are receiving new attention in Congress and from President Bush. Indeed, Romney’s past comments on illegal immigration suggest his views have hardened as he has ramped up his campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.

In a November 2005 interview with the Globe, Romney described immigration proposals by McCain and others as “quite different” from amnesty, because they required illegal immigrants to register with the government, work for years, pay taxes, not take public benefits, and pay a fine before applying for citizenship.

“That’s very different than amnesty, where you literally say, ‘OK, everybody here gets to stay,’ “ Romney said in the interview. “It’s saying you could work your way into becoming a legal resident of the country by working here without taking benefits and then applying and then paying a fine.”

Romney did not specifically endorse McCain’s bill, saying he had not yet formulated a full position on immigration. But he did speak approvingly of efforts by McCain and Bush to solve the nation’s immigration crisis, calling them “reasonable proposals.”

Romney also said in the interview that it was not “practical or economic for the country” to deport the estimated 12 million immigrants living in the US illegally. “These people contribute in many cases to our economy and to our society,” he said. “In some cases, they do not. But that’s a whole group we’re going to have to determine how to deal with.”

[nowandlater]

Name the only candidate who used the National Guard to arrest and deport Illegal Immigrants:

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Answer: Mitt Romney

[nowandlater]

McCain-Kennedy didn’t exist in 2005. You can’t ding a guy for a plan that had not been created yet. Sorry you lose again.

This is wonderful. Mitt Romney has the best and LONGEST record on Illegal Immigration.

[EternalVigilance]

Romney’s Mitt-Flops make John Kerry look stable by way of comparison.

[EternalVigilance]

You can’t ding a guy for a plan that had not been created yet. Sorry you lose again.

Romney's direct quotes from a mere eighteen months ago show irrefutably that he supported the heart of shamnesty. Just another crass, opportunistic Mitt-Flop.

[amihow]

This guy is too flip floppy. He is the GOP’S hack on the issue and will turn on us if elected.

[nowandlater]

Not true, when he ran for Governor of Massachusetts in 2002, he ran on a strong anti-illegal immigration platform.

He was strong then in a liberal state. He is strong now and he will be strong as president. No shading.

EV is saying he supported McCain-Kennedy which a load of crap. In 2005 there was no McCain-Kennedy.

[CheyennePress]

Good job finding this and posting it. Romney has called the government spending, the war against violent jihad, and the immigration issue the main planks of his campaign. One thing that I believe Romney can do better than anyone is to turn up the heat on Congress by lobbying the American people.

See his actions on the retroactive capital gains tax in which he sent letters to all the citizens of Mass informing them how much the would own if the legislature pushed that bill through. The outcry destroyed that bill. And there would probably be just as strong an outcry on the immigration issue.

Romney on the Retroactive Capital Gains tax:

Now, I also went after taxes. The legislature passed—remarkably—a $250 million retroactive capital gains tax increase. Think of that. Now I knew that my veto would be overridden by the 85 percent Democratic majority. So I had my Department of Revenue send every tax payer a pro forma tax bill for the new higher taxes.

And then I waited a little while for folks to call their legislators. And did they ever. And then I sent back to the legislature an amendment to their bill that turned the $250 million tax increase into a $250 million tax refund instead.

And, amazingly, the legislature now saw the error of their ways and adopted my amendment.

[Mogollon]

Mitt is sounding better and better to me.

[WOSG]

that’s an unfair ad hominem response. This was from the Boston globe, it’s going to come up anyway.

I am thrilled to see Mitt Romney standing against this bill.

I hope he was also against the bill the Senate put together last year, and I’d like Romney to explain more fully what he felt was positive about McCain’s early proposals and explain the distinctions.

I too was willing to give Bush’s ideas a chance early on, but my views “hardened” considerably once I understood the games that were being played.

[WOSG]

“EV is saying he supported McCain-Kennedy which a load of crap. In 2005 there was no McCain-Kennedy.”

I agree. Once again, EV shoots and misses.

When did Romney formulate his immigration views and when did he come out against McCain-Kennedy? It would be more impressive/consistent if he’s held these views since he’s been running.

[dirtboy]

See post 43. The critical problem is that Romney was engaging in the game of parsing amnesty just 18 months ago.

[WOSG]

I already responded to post 43, it doesnt tell us where Romney really was on the full issue. Romney never supported McCain-Kennedy, the question is when did he come out in opposition to it? From the get go or only recently?

Romney was brave/smart enough to veto in-state tuition for illegal aliens. That says a lot more than one vague sentence, which btw, merely restates the ‘you cant deport 12 million’ truism. (No you can’t but you dont need amnesty either, you need enforcement first.)

Check this discussion of Romney’s record on immigration:

http://race42008.com/2007/05/17/romney-on-amnestyimmigration-bill/

“Nope, Jake. He was campaigning against amnesty in 2005. He vetoed a bill giving the children of illegal immigrants in-state tuition rates, he vetoed a bill giving illegal immigrants driver’s licenses, he gave state troopers the power to arrest illegal immigrants they encounter during the course of their daily activities. Outside of Hunter and Tancredo, he’s done more to combat illegal immigration then anyone in the field.”

PS. THIS comment is also telling ...
“ DON’T CARE IF ROMNEY FLIP-FLOPPED.

I wish McCain and Brownback would flip flop and secure our borders from terrorists instead of securing serfs for big business and votes for the Mexico lobby.

I’d rather have a new supporter than a “consistent” enemy.”

IMHO, Borwnback is at 1% in the polls because of immigration.
Rudy and McCain will NOT be the nominees — because of immigration.

I’ve seen Cornyn, who IMHO is mostly solid on immigration, ‘parse’ some things funny (eg ‘guest worker program’), and one of the heroes opposing 2006 CIRA, Chambliss, got roped into this ‘deal’ ...

Romney is more consistently good on this issue than practically any of the other major candidates (and non-candidate Fred Thompson, who was nearly mcaniac on the issue).

I’m still liking Romney/Hunter.

[dirtboy]

Romney never supported McCain-Kennedy, the question is when did he come out in opposition to it? From the get go or only recently?

To me, the real problem is that as recent as 18 months ago, he was engaging in the same parsing of amnesty that we see from McCain and Bush. I'm tired of politicians parsing away the clear meaning of words in their efforts to sell us a pig in a poke.

[Swordfished]

I’ve also hardened my views over time with respect to illegal immigration. Actually I know very few people who haven’t.

Me as well. I bought into Medved's arguments that it's just crazy to deport 12 million people at once. It's a pure straw man - it need not be done all at once. It could take 5-20 years or longer, but it's doable.

One of the things that really set me off was that this bill's cost will be $2.4 trillion dollars. $2.4 trillion dollars to address the issue in the wrong way - what a waste! Do it right.

[Saundra Duffy]

Go, Mitt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The man has a record . . . a good record.

[WOSG]

No, that’s not the real problem.
The real problem is that we have close to half the Republicans in the Senate, including McCain and Brownback, who signed up for McCain-Kennedy, an odious piece of legislation.

You haven’t disputed the point that Romney never supported it, but you haven’t told me when he came out against it either.

I dont see Romney parsing needlessly, his 2005 statement was just one of those truisms ... it’s one thing to be suspicious of such a statement, but another to wrongly draw a conclusion from it. Better to dig deeper and find out where he really stands.

Here’s another data point that tells me Romney is signalling we won’t be a wimp on immigration:

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http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/g/d5bd0694-1fef-4412-8493-167677bf3eb0

MR: [First] we secure the border, two, we have an employment verification system, and three, of the 12 million who are here, I’m telling them go register, go get your card, we’re going to have a realistic attrition program. And it’s an RAP, realistic attrition program. If they, for instance, have a child in school, we may let them complete the school year, and then they return home. When they are home, they’re able to apply for permanent residency, or for citizenship, or anything else they’d like to apply for. But they get no advantage by having been here illegally. And that for me is the key thing. If somebody is going to get a special pathway by having come here illegally to be able to stay, or become a citizen, then that’s rewarding illegal activity. It’s not fair to those who stood in line. And in my view, it’s a form of amnesty.

HH: Now Governor, in McCain-Kennedy, there was a provision for the awarding to illegal immigrants of social security benefits for the years they had spent working in this country. Do you favor that?

MR: No, I think that’s another mistake in the bill. There are a number of things that are wrong in it. The provision of social security for illegal aliens, I think, was a mistake. The provision that said that you could get in line to become a permanent resident or citizen by paying three of your last five years of taxes, that was a mistake. And the whole concept that people who are here illegally would receive an advantage towards being able to stay here, relative to people who’ve been waiting in line in their own country, that doesn’t make sense to me, and it says to people globally, hey, if you want to get ahead in coming to America, don’t wait in line in your home country, but go over there on a tourist visa, and stay over. That’s the wrong signal.