Romney in 2nd debate refuses to budge or pander on issue of taking jobs from illegal aliens

A very interesting post from www.NumbersUSA.com about immigration in the second presidential debate.  This follows this post about immigration enforcement DEMOCRATS! This follows this post about how to Report Illegal Immigrants! For more that you can do to get involved click HERE and HERE and you can read a very interesting book HERE.


Romney in 2nd debate refuses to budge or pander on issue of taking jobs from illegal aliens






By Roy Beck  posted on NumbersUSA



Gov. Romney sent a powerful positive message to unemployed American workers in construction, service and manufacturing by refusing to budge from his long-term insistence on strong enforcement to get illegal immigrants out of U.S. jobs.

He did so in the face of a tough audience question about "productive" illegal immigrants and in response to attacks by Pres. Obama about Romney's support for "self-deportation."

Romney noted two primary ways that a country can enforce its immigration rules and said he rejects the one that involves mass roundups and mass deportations. Instead, he said, he would take away the jobs and benefits magnets and allow most illegal immigrants to come to their own conclusion on moving back to their home countries.

Obama, unfortunately, indicated that he opposes both enforcement options, except for deporting criminals who are "hurting the community."  Although Obama touted success in controlling illegal border crossings, he promised nothing to even discourage millions of tourists and other visitors from over-staying their visas and competing against Americans for jobs.



Obama inaccurately described an Arizona law as authorizing police to stop people for looking like they might be illegal immigrants and he accused Romney of saying that should be a model for the nation. Romney disavowed any such position -- something independent fact-checkers have been confirming for months -- but said he does believe the model for the nation is the Arizona law that requires all employers to use E-Verify, a federal system that ensures that jobs go to Americans and legal immigrants.



Less than 5% of the seven million illegal immigrant workers are in agriculture. Most are less-educated and in construction, manufacturing, service and transportation occupations. The majority of the 20 million Americans who can't find a full-time job are also less-educated and looking for jobs in those same occupations.

NumbersUSA does not endorse candidates, but on the issue of giving Americans priority over illegal immigrants for U.S. jobs, I found Romney's debate comments to be very encouraging and Obama's to be dismaying.  However, in their comments about legal immigration, both candidates failed to show any understanding that it can be a source of unfair competition to American workers.

MY LIVE-BLOGGING DURING THE DEBATE



First question in the second presidential debate is a humdinger. Jeremy, a young man hoping to graduate in 2014, wants to know whether he has any hope for a job when he gets out. Romney correctly notes that more than half of all recent college graduates don't have degree jobs or have no jobs at all. But we'll see if immigration comes up whether the two candidates remember that all those unemployed and underemployed Americans are affected by any immigration decision.



I start listening to this debate without much anticipation that the candidates will treat immigration as a jobs market issue because I haven't seen it really happen ever in any primary or general debate.



Prove me wrong, candidates.



OBAMA MENTIONS IMMIGRATION FIRST IN A LITANY AGAINST ROMNEY



Pres. Obama breaks the barrier and mentions immigrations. Responding to a question to Gov. Romney about how he differs from Pres. Bush, the President named a few bad ways that Romney is different from Bush.



One of those was that Bush "embraced comprehensive immigration reform. He didn't call for self-deportation."



The President's supporters have been clamoring for days for him to take after Romney for his suggestion that illegal aliens should go back home on their own rather than having mass deportations or having mass amnesties.



The fact that Obama brought this up in this litany suggests that he and his advisors definitely were going to get "self-deportation" into the debate as a jab. What bothers me is that they apparently have some reaons to believe that voters are going to be turned off by the concept of illegal aliens going home. Do they think voters think the only right policy is for illegal aliens to remain in the U.S.?



ROMNEY PUT AN IMMIGRATION JAB AGAINST OBAMA IN HIS OWN LITANY



Romney now puts immigration into his litany of complaints about Obama of broken promises. And it isn't a helpful mention. He basically seems to say that Obama hasn't pushed his amnesty and more-immigration policies hard enough.



Romney says Obama promised in 2008 he would put out an immigraiton plan but "he didn't even file it."



OK, now he's pointing out that job creation the last four years has not even kept up with population growth. But he fails to note that the vast majority of the population growth (and labor growth) comes from federal-caused immigration.



ROMNEY LAYS OUT HIS IMMIGRATION PLAN



A young woman asks: "What do you paln on doing with immigrants without their greencards that are currently living here as productive members of society?"



Oh, my. Hard to avoid a pandering answer to such a loaded question.



Romney says, "Let me step back and tell you what I would like to do with our immigration policy."



He gives the stock "we're a nation of immigrants." He does his usual stuff about welcoming people who come here as legal immigrants. Yes, anybody who takes a green card our government has offered, we should welcome them. The issue is how many green cards to offer.



Ugh, he talks about stapling green cards indiscriminantly to all kinds of foreign students. I told you these candidates would likely forget about Jeremy who was a college student wanting a job.



This is great:



"So I will not grant amnesty to those who come here illegally.



More great:



"What I will do is put in place an employment verification system to make sure that employers who hire people who have come here illegally are sanctioned for doing so. I won't put in place magnets for people comeing here illegally for instance I would not give drivers licenses -- as the president would."



OK, it is clearer and clearer that Romney wants to give an amnesty to at least some of the so-called DREAM kids. But this sentence indicates he might seriously limit who get it:



"The kids of those who came here illegally should have a pathway to become a permanent resident of the U.S. Military service is one way."



OBAMA LAYS OUT HIS



His own "nation of immigrants" stuff, along with saying he is making it easier and cheaper for immigrant workers to get here because "they'll start new businesses" and "create jobs for people here."



It's a good sign that despite always emphasizing amnesty for nearly everybody when he is speaking to immigrant voters, he doesn't quickly get to amnesty and does quickly get to securing the border.



"We do have to deal with our border." He brags about low number of border crossings now."



Ooh, he says his enforcement goes after "gangbangers but not after "folks who are here just because they're trying to figure out ohow to feed their families."



Talks about DREAM Act amnesty.



Jumps on Romney for saying the Arizona law is a model for the nation.



ROY BECK is Founder & CEO of NumbersUSA



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