Mitt Romney is urging Republicans in the new Congress to come together, "swallow hard," and pass a “permanent clarification of our immigration laws so that people know where they stand,"
breitbart.com reports.
The former Massachusetts governor told Univision that President Barack Obama's executive amnesty — while a temporary solution — has communicated to those to those outside U.S. borders that's it's fine to enter the country illegally because "they'll always let you stay."
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But he called on Republican lawmakers to lead, not battle, moving beyond their obvious anger against the president's unilateral decision-making to begin work on their own more permanent reforms that offer a broader solution to the nation's growing immigration crisis.
"Maybe even then, Republicans will swallow hard and say, 'OK, even despite the fact that we now have a stick in our eye launched by the president, we’re going to go ahead and try and see if we can’t make some improvements to the immigration system.' I hope we’re able to do that,” he told Univision.
Romney, in another appearance on
CBS News, urged both Democrats and Republicans to "take a breath," after hard-fought midterms and contentious issues ahead. But he noted that Obama must understand that while he contends he wasn't on the ticket, "his policies were. And the American people sent a very clear message to the president about his policies. They're not happy about them."
As the political focus shifts toward 2016, the ball on immigration will be in the GOP's court, noted
Boston Globe columnist Scott Lehigh of the gamble Republicans face with any action on immigration. He noted that Hispanics are a growing portion of the electorate, and typically turn out in presidential election years. Angering them could scotch Republican chances.
"A GOP base infuriated by the president’s initiative wants confrontation on the issue. But taking action to reverse Obama’s new policy means alienating the growing bloc of Hispanic voters," Lehigh noted in a Nov. 26 column.
"Now, some Republicans genuinely had hoped to address the problem in a bipartisan way, but that’s proved politically impossible, given the passions illegal immigration ignites on the right."
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