WALL STREET JOURNAL (Article by Sara Murray): Mitt Romney and his campaign have declined — so far at least — to address whether the candidate agrees with the Supreme Court’s ruling to strike down portions of a controversial Arizona immigration law.
After the court’s ruling Monday morning, Mr. Romney issued a statement that neither cheered nor decried the decision and offered no specificity on his views about the four provisions the court evaluated. (While one was upheld, three others were struck down.)
“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,” Mr. Romney said in a written statement. “President Obama has failed to provide any leadership on immigration. This represents yet another broken promise by this 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 presumptive GOP nominee has been working to soften his rhetoric on immigration, and has moved cautiously. His lack of a position on the court’s ruling was particularly striking as Mr. Romney was in Phoenix Monday, the launch point for the strict legislation.
In its ruling, the Supreme court struck down much of the Arizona law, but upheld the law’s directive that state and local police check the immigration status of people they stop when they suspect them of lacking authorization to be in the U.S.
Rick Gorka, a traveling press secretary for the Romney campaign, refused to address whether Mr. Romney agrees with the Supreme Court’s ruling or whether the candidate supports the Arizona immigration law.
“The governor supports the rights of states. That’s all we’re going to say on this issue,” Mr. Gorka said. Pressed further, he said “each state has the right, within the Constitution, to craft their own immigration laws since the federal government has failed.”
President Barack Obama offered more detailed statements on the decision Monday and pushed Congress to take on comprehensive immigration reform.
“I am pleased that the Supreme Court has struck down key provisions of Arizona’s immigration law,” Mr. Obama said in a statement. “At the same time, I remain concerned about the practical impact of the remaining provision of the Arizona law that requires local law enforcement officials to check the immigration status of anyone they even suspect to be here illegally. I agree with the Court that individuals cannot be detained solely to verify their immigration status. No American should ever live under a cloud of suspicion just because of what they look like.” (See the full Obama and Romney statements.)
During the GOP primaries, Mr. Romney dubbed an Arizona immigration law a model for the nation, but his campaign said he was simply referring to a provision that requires employers to check the legal status of new hires. He also advocated for self-deportation for the roughly 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.
In a Mesa, Ariz., debate in February, Mr. Romney said, “the right course for America is to drop these lawsuits against Arizona and other states that are trying to do the job Barack Obama isn’t doing. And I will drop those lawsuits on day one.”
Pivoting to the general election, Mr. Romney has toned down his rhetoric as both parties try to appeal to Hispanics, a key voting bloc.
Offering a more detailed view of his immigration plans last week, Mr. Romney advocated for a green card program designed to keep families together, a path to legal status for young, illegal immigrants who join the military and a plan to allow those with advanced degrees to stay in the U.S. In the same speech he pushed for more stringent border control, including tougher regulations to ensure workers are in the country legally.
But Mr. Romney has skirted more-specific immigration questions, an indication of the delicate balance he must strike to appease conservatives and appeal to Hispanics. After the president issued an executive order to stop deportation for younger immigrants whose parents brought them to the U.S. illegally, Mr. Romney repeatedly dodged questions about whether he would repeal the order if he were president.
The campaign chartered a plane Monday so national press would be readily on hand for Mr. Romney’s comments in the event of a Supreme Court decision. Mr. Gorka said the charter flight was in anticipation of a ruling on Mr. Obama’s health-care law.
“We were very clear that this was about Obamacare,” Mr. Gorka said. “We do this as a favor to you guys to make it easier.”
Members of the press pay for their own seats when they fly with the candidate.
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