Mitt Romney hits out at Obama over immigration

Published on 25/06/2012 20:55

Mitt Romney has blasted president Barack Obama after the US Supreme Court upheld part of an Arizona law cracking down on illegal immigration that Mr Romney had endorsed while seeking the Republican presidential nomination.

In a statement, Mr Romney said: “Today’s decision underscores the need for a president who will lead on this critical issue and work in a bipartisan fashion to pursue a national immigration strategy.”

He called the immigration issue a “broken promise” by the Democratic president.

“I believe that each state has the duty, and the right, to secure our borders and preserve the rule of law, particularly when the federal government has failed to meet its responsibilities.”

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the requirement for police to check the immigration status of anyone they stop, rejecting the Obama administration’s stance that only the US government should enforce immigration laws in the United States.

But the court ruled that three other provisions in the Arizona law went too far in intruding on federal law, including one making it a crime for illegal immigrants to work and another requiring immigrants to carry their documents.

Polls show Mr Obama enjoys up to a three-to-one advantage over Mr Romney among Hispanic voters, as Mr Romney has struggled to frame an immigration message that would appeal to the fast-growing group as well as pleasing conservatives in his own party, whose focus is mostly on securing the border with Mexico.

Mr Obama issued a statement saying he was “pleased” with the ruling but added that it makes “unmistakably clear is that Congress must act on comprehensive immigration reform”.