U.S. Senate candidate Mitt Romney told a Utah crowd Monday that he’s “more of a hawk on immigration” than President Trump and opposes giving DACA recipients a path to citizenship.
During a Q&A session sponsored by the Utah County Republican Women in Provo, the former Republican presidential nominee touted his conservative credentials as more right-leaning than he appeared during the 2012 campaign.
“For instance, I’m a deficit hawk,” Mr. Romney said, the Daily Herald reported. “That makes me more conservative than a lot of Republicans and a lot of Democrats. I’m also more of a hawk on immigration than even the president. My view was these DACA kids shouldn’t all be allowed to stay in the country legally.”
The Trump administration announced last year it was ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an Obama-era program that protected 1.8 million illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children from being deported. In an attempt to strike a deal with Democrats, Mr. Trump proposed a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, but it was rejected by Democrats.
Mr. Romney said he didn’t agree with Mr. Trump’s plan, the Daily Herald reported.
“That was not my posture,” he said. “So I was more conservative than others in my party. Now I will accept the president’s view on this, but for me, I draw the line and say, those who’ve come illegally should not be given a special path to citizenship.”
Mr. Romney is running to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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