On Monday Mitt Romney said he is more of an immigration hawk than Trump.
Utah Senate candidate Mitt Romney said Monday that he’s more of a hardliner on immigration than President Donald Trump, citing his opposition to citizenship for Dreamers, the undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children.Â
“I’m also more of a hawk on immigration than even the president,†he told a crowd of supporters during a campaign event. “My view was these DACA kids shouldn’t all be allowed to stay in the country legally. I will accept the president’s view on this, but for me, I draw the line and say those who’ve come illegally should not be given a special path to citizenship.â€
Trump ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program last September, calling on Congress to find a legislative fix for Dreamers. The president’s position has since become more hardline on that fix. He now says he would only accept a deal for Dreamers to be offered a path to citizenship in exchange for funding his border wall and supporting the end of family-based migration ― which immigration restrictionists often call chain migration.
Romney took this a step further, saying Monday that Dreamers needed to earn their right to stay in the country by attending community college or serving in the military.
His campaign offered a clarification Tuesday about that position, pointing to a campaign disclosure statement from Romney that said Dreamers deserve legal status, but not a path to citizenship.Â
“I support the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and believe the best way to fix birthright citizenship abuses, and retain the Constitution’s provision, is to end chain migration,†the statement added.
This is a good sign. Romney has been a known anti-Trumper but none of that will matter if he supports the most important parts of Trump’s agenda. Romney is a strong voice inside of the Republican establishment and might just help them get on board with Trump’s immigration policies. I understand that many don’t like him but he would be a powerful ally for Donald Trump to have.
WATCH:
Can Mitt Romney and Trump work together to Make America Great? https://t.co/S3zkB9koNG
— Jacob Palmieri (@jakepalmieri) March 29, 2018
