President Obama's Immigration Stance Could Pay Off in Key Swing States, Poll Suggests

New York Daily News (Article by Jonathan Lemire): President Obama basked in the warm embrace of a Latino leaders conference Friday as a new poll shows that his new immigration policy could pay off in key swing states.

Obama announced last week that nearly 1 million upstanding young, illegal immigrants would be spared the threat of being thrown out of the country.

The policy shift was cheered by Latino groups, but Obama insisted more has to be done.

"We wanted to lift the shadow of deportation and give them a reason to hope," Obama told the gathering near Orlando. "That was the right thing to do."

The President blasted Republicans in Congress for not passing the DREAM Act, which would have created a path to citizenship for the illegal immigrants.

"I refused to keep looking young people in the eye, deserving, young people in the eye and tell them, 'Tough luck,' the politics is too hard," Obama said.

He also warned that Mitt Romney would try to block further reform.

"Well, he had promised to veto the DREAM Act, and we should take him at his word," said Obama. "I'm just sayin'."

Romney, who addressed the same conference the day before, has not said if he would overturn Obama's executive action, but he slammed it as a temporary measure fueled by election-year politics.

Romney's staff touted his immigration plan, which would give green cards to illegal immigrants studying at American universities, and help those serving in the military achieve citizenship.

While Romney's surrogates ripped Obama Friday for economic policies that have hurt Latinos, the President framed his immigration stance in highly personal terms.

"[The American] promise drew my own father here," he said. "In no other nation on Earth my story would even be possible; that is something I celebrate."

Obama and his campaign are also likely celebrating the results of a new poll which show that the President has opened up huge leads on Romney among Latinos in some crucial battlegrounds.

Obama is up on Romney 53% to 37% among Hispanics in Florida, according to the survey conducted by the group's Latino Decisions and America's Voice.

That advantage, which has grown in recent months, could give the incumbent a chance to win a state where he is widely being blamed for its economic woes.

He also opened up massive leads among Latinos in three southwestern states Colorado, Nevada and Arizona and a 59% to 28% advantage over Romney in Virginia.