U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt
Romney on Thursday softened his tone on immigration in a speech to
the Hispanic community, offering what he called a strategy for
"bipartisan and long-term immigration reform."
"Immigration reform is not just a moral imperative, but an
economic necessity as well," Romney said to the National Association
of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials' annual conference in Lake
Buena Vista, Florida. "We can find common ground here, and we must.
We owe it to ourselves as Americans to ensure that our country
remains a land of opportunity -- both for those who were born here
and for those who share our values, respect our laws, and want to
come to our shores."
Romney also unveiled a series of family-friendly proposals aimed
at immigrants who are current legal U.S. residents, but gave no
details on how he would implement long-term reform if he is elected
president, or suggested any remedy for the more than 11 million
undocumented immigrants. During the Republican primaries, he said
the solution was for illegal immigrants to stop working and leave
the country, which he termed "self-deportation".
Romney refused to say whether he would overturn President Barack
Obama's new policy that would stop the deportation of some illegal
immigrants who were brought to the country as children, only saying
he would "replace and supersede" it with a long-term overhaul if he
is elected president.
The new proposals Romney offered include reallocating the current
number of green cards to give priority to legal immigrants who want
to unite their families "under one roof". He also said he would
exempt from green-card caps the spouses and minor children of legal
permanent residents.
As he started speaking, Romney's campaign released an outline of
his plan, which would include giving green cards to immigrants who
earn advanced degrees at American universities; providing a path to
legal status for illegal immigrants who serve in the military; and
cutting red tape.
Romney also used the opportunity to attack Obama, saying the
president failed to act until he was "facing a tough reelection and
trying to secure your vote." He also attacked the new deportation
policy as "a temporary measure".
However, new polls found that the new measure, announced last
week and could affect about 800,000 people, very popular among
Latino voters, who are disappointed by tough talks on immigration by
the GOP candidates during their primaries, with Romney one of the
toughest.
Romney spoke one day before Obama, who is scheduled to speak to
the same convention Friday. The GOP camp is struggling to gain a
foothold among Latinos, the largest ethnic minority which made up 9
percent of the 2008 electorate, according to a Pew Hispanic Center
analysis of exit polls. Obama won the Hispanic vote 67 to 31 percent
over Republican John McCain in 2008.
