Immigration Finally Addressed in Debate

Immigration was one of the most important issues discussed in tonight's debate. It first came up when President Obama compared Romney's immigration positions to President Bush's policies:

But the last point I want to make is this. You know, there are some things where Governor Romney is different from George Bush. George Bush didn't propose turning Medicare into a voucher. George Bush embraced comprehensive immigration reform. He didn't call for self-deportation.

Romney later pointed out President Obama's 2008 promise on introducing immigration reform legislation. But the real substance came up later during this exchange:

Lorraine Osorio has a question for you about a topic we have not...

OBAMA: This is for Governor Romney?

CROWLEY: It's for Governor Romney, and we'll be right with you, Mr. President. Thanks.

ROMNEY: Is it Loraina?

QUESTION: Lorraine.

ROMNEY: Lorraine?

QUESTION: Yes, Lorraine.

ROMNEY: Lorraine.

QUESTION: How you doing?

ROMNEY: Good, thanks.

QUESTION: Mr. Romney, what do you plan on doing with immigrants without their green cards that are currently living here as productive members of society?

ROMNEY: Thank you. Lorraine? Did I get that right? Good. Thank you for your question. And let me step back and tell you what I would like to do with our immigration policy broadly and include an answer to your question.

But first of all, this is a nation of immigrants. We welcome people coming to this country as immigrants. My dad was born in Mexico of American parents; Ann's dad was born in Wales and is a first-generation American. We welcome legal immigrants into this country.

I want our legal system to work better. I want it to be streamlined. I want it to be clearer. I don't think you have to — shouldn't have to hire a lawyer to figure out how to get into this country legally. I also think that we should give visas to people — green cards, rather, to people who graduate with skills that we need. People around the world with accredited degrees in science and math get a green card stapled to their diploma, come to the U.S. of A. We should make sure our legal system works.

Number two, we're going to have to stop illegal immigration. There are 4 million people who are waiting in line to get here legally. Those who've come here illegally take their place. So I will not grant amnesty to those who have come here illegally.

What I will do is I'll put in place an employment verification system and make sure that employers that hire people who have come here illegally are sanctioned for doing so. I won't put in place magnets for people coming here illegally. So for instance, I would not give driver's licenses to those that have come here illegally as the president would.

The kids of those that came here illegally, those kids, I think, should have a pathway to become a permanent resident of the United States and military service, for instance, is one way they would have that kind of pathway to become a permanent resident.

ROMNEY: Now when the president ran for office, he said that he'd put in place, in his first year, a piece of legislation — he'd file a bill in his first year that would reform our — our immigration system, protect legal immigration, stop illegal immigration. He didn't do it.

He had a Democrat House, a Democrat Senate, super majority in both Houses. Why did he fail to even promote legislation that would have provided an answer for those that want to come legally and for those that are here illegally today? What's a question I think the — the president will have a chance to answer right now.

OBAMA: Good, I look forward to it.

Was — Lorranna — Lorraine — we are a nation of immigrants. I mean we're just a few miles away from Ellis Island. We all understand what this country has become because talent from all around the world wants to come here. People are willing to take risks. People who want to build on their dreams and make sure their kids have an even bigger dreams than they have.

But we're also a nation of laws. So what I've said is we need to fix a broken immigration system and I've done everything that I can on my own and sought cooperation from Congress to make sure that we fix the system.

The first thing we did was to streamline the legal immigration system, to reduce the backlog, make it easier, simpler and cheaper for people who are waiting in line, obeying the law to make sure that they can come here and contribute to our country and that's good for our economic growth.

They'll start new businesses. They'll make things happen to create jobs here in the United States.

Number two, we do have to deal with our border so we put more border patrol on the — any time in history and the flow of undocumented works across the border is actually lower than it's been in 40 years.

What I've also said is if we're going to go after folks who are here illegally, we should do it smartly and go after folks who are criminals, gang bangers, people who are hurting the community, not after students, not after folks who are here just because they're trying to figure out how to feed their families. And that's what we've done. And what I've also said is for young people who come here, brought here often times by their parents. Had gone to school here, pledged allegiance to the flag. Think of this as their country. Understand themselves as Americans in every way except having papers. And we should make sure that we give them a pathway to citizenship.

And that's what I've done administratively. Now, Governor Romney just said, you know he wants to help those young people too, but during the Republican primary, he said, "I will veto the DREAM Act", that would allow these young people to have access." His main strategy during the Republican primary was to say, "We're going to encourage self-deportation." Making life so miserable on folks that they'll leave. He called the Arizona law a model for the nation. Part of the Arizona law said that law enforcement officers could stop folks because they suspected maybe they looked like they might be undocumented workers and check their papers.

You know what? If my daughter or yours looks to somebody like they're not a citizen, I don't want — I don't want to empower somebody like that. So, we can fix this system in a comprehensive way. And when Governor Romney says, the challenge is, "Well Obama didn't try." That's not true. I have sat down with Democrats and Republicans at the beginning of my term. And I said, let's fix this system. Including Senators previously who had supported it on the Republican side. But it's very hard for Republican's in Congress to support comprehensive immigration reform, if their standard bearer has said that, this is not something I'm interested in supporting.

CROWLEY: Let me get the governor in here, Mr. President. Let's speak to, if you could...

ROMNEY: Yes.

CROWLEY: ...the idea of self-deportation?

ROMNEY: No, let — let — let me go back and speak to the points that the president made and — and — and let's get them correct.

I did not say that the Arizona law was a model for the nation in that aspect. I said that the E-Verify portion of the Arizona law, which is — which is the portion of the law which says that employers could be able to determine whether someone is here illegally or not illegally, that that was a model for the nation. That's number one.

Number two, I asked the president a question I think Hispanics and immigrants all over the nation have asked. He was asked this on Univision the other day. Why, when you said you'd filed legislation in your first year didn't you do it? And he didn't answer. He — he doesn't answer that question. He said the standard bearer wasn't for it.

I'm glad you thought I was a standard bearer four years ago, but I wasn't.

Four years ago you said in your first year you would file legislation.

In his first year, I was just getting — licking my wounds from having been beaten by John McCain, all right. I was not the standard bearer.

My — my view is that this president should have honored his promise to do as he said.

OBAMA: I do want to make sure that — I do want to make sure that we just understand something. Governor Romney says he wasn't referring to Arizona as a model for the nation. His top adviser on immigration is the guy who designed the Arizona law, the entirety of it; not E-Verify, the whole thing. That's his policy. And it's a bad policy. And it won't help us grow.

Look, when we think about immigration, we have to understand there are folks all around the world who still see America as the land of promise. And they provide us energy and they provide us innovation and they start companies like Intel and Google. And we want to encourage that.

Now, we've got to make sure that we do it in a smart way and a comprehensive way, and we make the legal system better. But when we make this into a divisive political issue, and when we don't have bipartisan support — I can deliver, Governor, a whole bunch of Democrats to get comprehensive immigration reform done, and we can't...

ROMNEY: I'll get it done. I'll get it done. First year...

OBAMA: ... we can't — we have not seen Republicans serious about this issue at all. And it's time for them to get serious on it.

CROWLEY: Mr. President, let me move you on here please. Mr. President, (inaudible).

OBAMA: This used to be a bipartisan issue.

I think Governor Romney damaged his position even more with Hispanic voters, if that's possible. He rudely cut off Candy Crowley when she asked about his "self-deportation" promise, he referred to illegally present immigrants as "illegals" and he doubled down on the "no amnesty" commitment. His only effective argument was going after the President for not pursuing immigration reform sooner, but this only opened the door for the President to recite all of the immigration accomplishments he's had and reminding the public that he's had to do everything administratively because the Republican Party led by Mitt Romney is so anti-immigration.

Comments

[Jack]

"QUESTION: Mr. Romney, what do you plan on doing with immigrants without their green cards that are currently living here as productive members of society?"

Only undecided voters were supposed to ask questions in that debate. Also, the question is not clearly expressed because "immigrants without their green cards" applies to lawfully present aliens. I'm guessing the questioner was referring solely to unlawfully present aliens.

"shouldn't have to hire a lawyer to figure out how to get into this country legally."

That's a very pro-immigrant position but I wonder what immigration lawyers would think? Simplification is always a primary goal of major tax reform; it seems like CIR "reformers" want to lard already bloated law with even more visa categories.

"the flow of undocumented works across the border is actually lower than it's been in 40 years."

To which one might reply that the shrinking of jobs under your administration is the reason.

"not after folks who are here just because they're trying to figure out how to feed their families. And that's what we've done."

You sure have. Thanks for admitting that you treat the vast majority of unlawfully present people as above the law. Most people do not understand that this administration condones illegal presence (and invites future illegal presence) with its constitutionally dubious rewriting of the INA. If it was just about prioritization of limited resources, why do you provide a road map for violators to know what they can get away with? The first rule of deterring law breaking is not giving your enforcement strategy away and making people worry about getting caught and consequences if they do. Obama's perverse way is we're not looking for you and even if you fall into our lap we will not allow the law to be enforced. When it was announced that you can even apply for work authorization, people even speculated that maybe it would be advantageous to enter the "enforcement" system! That's how big of a mockery this administration has made the law.

"He called the Arizona law a model for the nation."

Lie. But enforcement opponents made it a talking point anyway and these people have my ear and I pick up their language.

"Part of the Arizona law said that law enforcement officers could stop folks because they suspected maybe they looked like they might be undocumented workers and check their papers."

Another lie. Shocking, I know.

"And it won't help us grow."

What the heck? That non sequitur was almost Bush-like.

[Legal and no longer waiting]

Romney promised every foreign graduate a green card and every citizen a tax cut and a balanced budget. He stopped short of promising a pony.

Obama said he "streamlined" legal immigration by not touching it with a ten foot pole.

Great company.

[Another Voice]

I think the issue of immigration was addressed but mainly to score political points neither side proposed anything. Romney does not care about the issue and Obama won't make the same mistake as 2008 knowing that even if he wins he may get divided government which makes the issue impossible to deal with....

[George Chell]

One would hope that at least they will get rid of Section 214(b) for foreign students. It will help a lot. Secondly be prepared...you will find more and more Americans many of whom are incompetent blame foreign students next....

http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2012/10/an-open-letter-to-abigail-fisher/

[George Chell]

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/romney-surrogates-dance-around-equal-pay-immigration-position.php?ref=fpb

The question I wanted answered was whether Kobach, Brewer, Arpaio and Pearce along with others in Arizona, Gerogia and Alabama among others are for legal immigration. None of them have ever spoken about it. I simply believe like Steve King and Michelle Bachmann, they want legal immigration reduced considerably or they want a moratorium. Romney's idea of stapling Green Card to the diplomas of foreign graduate universities rings hollow. As I keep asking how do you get that past Charles Grassley? Is he going to be made the Ag Secreatary in a Romney Administration so that he does not do any more damage? Secondly, a true believer in "let the markets work" will allow corporations to decide, not the government. Immigration is the main reason, I am holding my nose and voting for Obama. I am very concerned, that after they are done with affirmative action, incompetent Americans like Abigail Fisher are going to come after Asian Americans and foreign students at Ivy Leagues and elsewhere, whether the latter are better qualified or not. Although I am not for affirmative action, Abigail Fisher is not a qualified candidate. If she had made it to Ivy League or Berkeley she would have been an excellent poster girl for abolishing affirmative action. She did not. She was only admitted into LSU which has one of the lowest academic standards in this country…in some respects some developing country institutions in China rank better than LSU.

[JoeF]

"People around the world with accredited degrees in science and math get a green card stapled to their diploma, come to the U.S. of A."
Does Romney really think people would fall for such a cheap play?
Given anybody with a STEM degree, no matter which university in the world, a GC, no questions asked?
This is suuuuch a pipe dream, it's never going to happen, not in a century.
They can't even fix fake universities in the US, e.g., Tri-Valley, UNVA, Herguan, ITU...
The TVU founder should have started her fraud in some country where she could have bribed some official. A license to print money.

[RR]

"The first thing we did was to streamline the legal immigration system, to reduce the backlog, make it easier, simpler and cheaper for people who are waiting in line, obeying the law to make sure that they can come here and contribute to our country and that's good for our economic growth."

How exactly does this statement ring true? To the best of my knowledge, RFEs have increased, getting H1s and L1s has become a lot harder, US consulates are denying visas on applications already approved by the USCIS on whim, EB backlogs still exist (and so do the FB ones). What exactly did Obama's administration do to make it "simpler, easier and cheaper"??