Amnesty issue stays with Romney in Iowa swing

By Bret Hayworth Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, June 01, 2007

As he debated a definition for the word amnesty, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said he was not in favor of moving people already in the country illegally ahead of those who are pursuing immigration in the right way.

Speaking to more than 200 people at the Clarion Hotel in Sioux City Thursday, Romney said, "I am not in favor of amnesty or anything like amnesty." In an interview following his campaign stop, Romney said amnesty can be "a loaded term" as federal lawmakers consider a bill to address the 12 million persons believed to be in the country without proper status.

The key principle, the former Massachusetts governor said, is that "we do not provide to them the rights of permanent residency or citizenship in a way that places them ahead of the other people who have been waiting in line. So I would not prohibit them from applying for permanent residency or prohibit them from applying for citizenship; I just don't think they should be given a special advantage over others who have been waiting."

Senate Bill 1348 under consideration would allow illegal immigrants to pay a $5,000 penalty and then have the ability to gain legal status, including as guest workers.

Asked his definition of amnesty, Romney said "it is such a loaded term and we probably ought to get a lawyer to say. And I understand that in some respects this (SB 1348) is not technically amnesty, because it does come with some penalty. It comes with a $5,000 penalty, so technically lawyers would probably tell us that's not amnesty. On the other hand, it has one of the key features of amnesty -- and one that I find not fair -- that is, that everyone would be allowed to stay indefinitely. Whether or not that is technically amnesty, it is amnesty-lite, amnesty in form, and it is something which I don't support."

Romney said "some folks are very animated about the term amnesty," adding the Senate bill, through the Z-Visa aspect, "has a key feature of amnesty, which is that it allows everybody who has already come here illegally to stay here indefinitely." He said some of the illegal immigrants are "migrant workers who go back and forth," and should be able to get migrant worker visas.

At the end of the press availability, a Romney spokesman said the candidate had not changed his position on immigration, although it has been something Romney has been asked to clarify often in his two-day swing through Iowa.

Former state Sen. Chuck Larson, a senior adviser for the John McCain presidential campaign in Iowa, said Romney needs to state his solution for dealing with illegal immigration. Larson said Romney previously supported legislation with a pathway to citizenship.

The immigration issue was raised in the Sioux City event by a man who said he was "very, very concerned" about illegal immigration. The man said "there is a lot of anger in the base of the Republican Party" on the issue, with some of that disenchantment going to President George W. Bush, who has indicated support for legislation similar to SB 1348.

Romney delivered one of his applause lines when he said the U.S. border with Mexico should be enforced. He said the U.S. needs an employment verification system, whereby a card would be shown on applying for a job, and employers could check the card against a federal data base with names of persons having legal status.

Bret Hayworth may be reached at (712) 293.4203 or brethayworth@siouxcityjournal.com

Read more in Hayworth's Politically Speaking blog at www.siouxcityjournal.com/blogs