Romney fleshes out immigration policy

By JUSTIN DUCKHAM
Talk Radio News Service

WASHINGTON - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney elaborated on his immigration platform Thursday, promising green cards for individuals who pursue advanced degrees or military service along with a streamlined immigration process for those who attempt to become citizens legally.

“Too many families are caught in a broken system that costs them time and money and entangles them in red tape,” Romney said during remarks before a primarily Hispanic audience at the annual conference for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. “For those seeking to come to America the right way, that kind of bureaucratic nightmare has to end. And we can do this with just a few common-sense reforms.”

While Romney emphasized making the path to citizenship easier, the former Massachusetts Governor pledged to stem the flow of illegal immigration by bolstering security along the border and setting up an easily accessible employee verification system to prevent businesses from unknowingly hiring undocumented workers.

The candidate also took some major swipes at his election year competitor, blasting President Barack Obama for failing to tackle immigration reform.

“For two years, this President had huge majorities in the House and Senate – he was free to pursue any policy he pleased,” Romney said. “But he did nothing to advance a permanent fix for our broken immigration system.”

Romney added that the administration’s executive order to defer deportation for some illegal immigrants amounted to little more than politics.

“He failed to act until facing a tough re-election and trying to secure your vote,” Romney explained.

Romney has previously said that he would focus on long-term immigration reform as an alternative to the President’s self-described “stop-gap measure.” However, he would not answer whether or not he would rescind the President’s executive order in the interim period between his inauguration and Congressional action.

During his remarks, Romeny again said that he would replace the President’s executive order, but gave no indication over whether or not he would repeal it.

President Obama is slated to appear before the conference on Friday.

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Posted by Gary on Jun 21 2012. Filed under Breaking News, Politics, Top stories, US. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.