Romney Faces Heat on Immigration

Wall Street Journal (Article by Miriam Jordan): Mitt Romney's embrace of Kris Kobach, the man behind a spate of laws intended to rid states like Arizona of illegal immigrants, is drawing fire from Hispanic Republicans and immigrant advocates who say the GOP front-runner has damaged his chances of attracting Latino voters in the presidential election.

"Romney committed political suicide when he received Kobach's endorsement," said DeeDee Garcia Blase, founder of Somos Republicans, a grassroots Latino Republican group. Somos Republicans announced Monday that it is endorsing Newt Gingrich in the Republican primary.

Last week, Mr. Romney welcomed the endorsement of Mr. Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state best known for advising legislators in Arizona, Alabama and several towns that crafted laws to crack down on illegal immigration.

"I'm so proud to earn Kris's support," Mr. Romney said in a statement. "I look forward to working with him to take forceful steps to curtail illegal immigration and to support states like South Carolina and Arizona that are stepping forward to address this problem."

The Romney campaign didn't respond to requests for comment.

While not alone among Republican contenders talking tough on illegal immigration, Mr. Romney has staked out a particularly strong position. He has referred to the Dream Act, legislation that has had bipartisan support in Congress, as a "handout." It would enable some undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to get citizenship after joining the military or completing college.

Roughly 12.2 million Hispanics are expected to be eligible to vote in the 2012 election. The group, which generally leans Democratic, will be crucial in swing states like Florida, Virginia and Colorado. "Romney will not win the presidency without at least 40% of the Latino vote; it just isn't possible," said Matt Barreto, a professor of political science at University of Washington and an independent pollster specializing in Hispanic voting patterns.

Mr. Romney, in finding common cause with Mr. Kobach, solidifies his image as anti-immigrant and anti-Hispanic, critics say. "Romney is making a huge political error that will hurt him in the general election," said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, a national group that favors a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Since 2004, Mr. Kobach, now 45 years old, a former law professor with degrees from Harvard College, Yale Law School and Oxford University, has made illegal immigration his raison d'être. In Arizona, he helped Republican state Sen. Russell Pearce and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio craft measures to curb illegal immigration. Mr. Pearce recently lost his seat in a recall election; the Department of Justice has accused Mr. Arpaio of engaging in racial profiling of Hispanics. Mr. Arpaio denies the allegations and says the Justice Department's investigation was politically motivated.

More recently, Mr. Kobach was crucial in crafting an Alabama law to curb illegal immigration that included a requirement that school administrators record the legal status of students. The school provision has been stayed by a federal court.

In a telephone interview Monday from South Carolina, Mr. Kobach said he is guided by the "attrition through enforcement" principle, which seeks to drive out illegal immigrants by making it "more difficult" for them to live and work in an area. He said he also is motivated by concerns about the fiscal burden on taxpayers posed by illegal immigration.

Mr. Kobach said he carefully studied the Republican candidates before deciding to endorse Mr. Romney. As governor of Massachusetts, Mr. Romney vetoed a bill that would have allowed undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at public universities. He also signed an agreement with federal authorities to train state law-enforcement officers to enforce immigration.

Mr. Kobach said he dismissed the notion that a Republican who held a soft position on illegal immigration would benefit the party.

Concerned about alienating Hispanics, the Republican National Committee has enlisted a director for Latino outreach. New Mexico Gov. Susan Martinez, who is a Republican, last week urged her party's presidential candidates to tone down their immigration rhetoric. Arizona Sen. John McCain is also among prominent Republicans who have recently cautioned against taking an anti-immigrant stance.