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BY ZACH TOOMBS
ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA
An address to a convention of Latino elected officials Thursday gave Mitt Romney a chance
to speak to a powerful voting block on a hot button issue. Just days after President Barack
Obama laid out a plan to give young illegal immigrants a path to residency, Romney faced
the obvious question …
“Some people have asked if I will let stand the president’s executive action. The answer
is that I will put in place my own long-term solution that will replace and supersede the
president’s temporary measure.”
Romney never discussed details of that long-term solution. But he unveiled a series of smaller
proposals that he says will put immigration on bipartisan turf. The New York Times writes:
“...an outline of his plan … 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.”
CBS News said the speech marked a new tone for Romney on immigration. Although he was
regularly labeled as a moderate on other issues throughout the GOP primary, his support for
a border fence and “self-deportation” for illegal immigrants put him on the far
right on that subject.
The shift has brought Romney from statements like this one last fall …
“We have to have a fence, we have to have enough border patrol agents to secure the
fence … We have to crack down on employers that hire people illegally.”
… to today in Florida.
“I’m going to address the problem of illegal immigration in a civil and resolute manner.
We may not always agree, but when I make a promise to you, I will keep it.”
On CNN, John Avlon said Romney’s words were short on solutions, while Victoria Solo said
his decision to face the big issues would come as a pleasant surprise for many Latinos.
AVLON: “It was a well-written speech, it was a very inclusive in tone. But it was completely
inconclusive in terms of content.”
SOLO: “What we did see is that he didn’t duck the question of immigration. Because
many of us thought, ‘is he just going to focus on the economy?’”
Mr. Obama will speak to that same convention — the National Association of Latino Elected
and Appointed Officials — on Friday. The Washington Post says ...
“The back-to-back appearances here underscore the growing importance of Hispanic voters,
particularly in battleground states such as Colorado, Nevada and Virginia that are vital
to the president’s reelection strategy. Polls show that among Latino adults, Obama
holds a lead of 68 to Romney’s 30…”