Joe Arpaio talks up Mitt Romney in New Hampshire
January 7th, 2008, 3:46 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Paul Giblin
Mitt Romney and Joe Arpaio
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio traveled to New Hampshire to stump for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the weekend.
Arpaio, who has made national headlines for arresting illegal immigrants, appeared with U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Republican from Colorado, at a press conference in Manchester to discuss illegal immigration.
Here’s some of Arpaio’s quotage, as provided by Romney’s campaign:
“I like (Romney’) stance on illegal immigration. If you recall, he’s probably the first governor that did make arrangements with (the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement service) for that type of training that ICE and we do. I give him a lot of credit for that.”
“It is an important problem in the state of Arizona and the whole country. That’s one reason I support the governor, versus many other reasons, too. Unfortunately, we have a U.S. senator from that important state that doesn’t give much emphasis to this most important issue.”
As governor of Massachusetts, Romney signed an agreement with ICE that allowed Massachusetts state troopers training and authority to enforce immigration law.
I’m not sure exactly what Arpaio meant by suggesting that Sen. John McCain doesn’t give much emphasis to illegal immigration. McCain co-sponsored the last two immigration reform packages that got any traction at all. Of course, both failed. And, in fact, it has been McCain’s unflinching attention to immigration policy that his given his campaign the most difficulty within his own party.
Curiously, Romney’s current immigration plan has more similarities than dissimilarities to the Senate’s compromise plan that McCain pushed in the summer. Here’s Romney’s 11-point plan, as outlined in the same press release:
– Secure the border. (Part of the 2007 Senate plan.)
– Implement a mandatory and enforceable employment verification system. (Part of the Senate plan.)
– Hold employers accountable. (Part of the Senate plan.)
– Reject amnesty. According to Romney, that means “oppose … any special path to citizenship for those here illegally.” (That might be a difference, but maybe not. The Senate plan contained a “path to citizenship” that included illegal immigrants paying fines, paying back taxes, proving steady employment, undergoing a background check and learning English, among other requirements. McCain, and others, said that was not amnesty. It’s difficult to determine how different Romney’s intended treatment of illegal immigrants differs from McCain’s proposed treatment, because Romney didn’t offer any details about what he would do with an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already living in the United States.)
– End the magnet of “sanctuary cities.” (The Senate plan was silent on this.)
– Oppose any special benefits for illegal immigrants. Romney defines this as driver’s licenses and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. (The Senate plan was silent on this.)
– Promote state and local partnerships with federal immigration officials. (Part of the Senate plan.)
– Improve interior enforcement. (Part of the Senate plan.)
– Teach English in our schools. (The Senate plan was silent on this.)
– End chain migration. (Part of the Senate plan.)
– Encourage legal immigration. (Part of the Senate plan.)
So in summery, of Romney’s 11 points, seven were featured in the Senate immigration bill, three weren’t addressed one way or the other, and the final point is tough to determine without more details from Romney.
It’s important to note that since the Senate immigration bill failed during the summer, McCain has said he now favors an enforcement-first approach.
Also, national Republican and Democrat decision makers alike have told me that immigration very likely will be a dead issue until after the next president is sworn in, and perhaps even until the next president is sworn in for a second term.
