Deferred Action and Mitt Romney: Republican Candidate Says He Would Honor Work Permits and Visas If Elected

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney announced that he would not revoke temporary work permits given to young undocumented immigrants under President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program if he were to be elected president in November.

Romney told The Denver Post, “The people who have received the special visa that the president has put in place, which is a two-year visa, should expect that the visa would continue to be valid. I’m not going to take something that they’ve purchased.” The GOP candidate added, “Before those visas have expired we will have the full immigration reform plan that I’ve proposed.”

In June, President Obama issued an executive order called the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which allows young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children to avoid deportation and get two-year work permits.

Republicans, including Romney, have criticized Obama for his decision to enact the plan just months before the presidential election, The Associated Press reported. Unlike Obama, Romney has taken a stricter stance on immigration, even calling for all undocumented immigrants to self-deport.

Romney told The Post, “I actually will propose a piece of legislation which will reform our immigration system to improve legal immigration so people don’t have to hire lawyers to figure out how to get here legally. The president promised in his first year, his highest priority, that he would reform immigration and he didn’t. And I will.”

The Republican candidate has also expressed his disapproval of the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants if they meet certain education or military service requirements. The AP reported that Romney said he would veto the act but that he supports providing a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who serve in the military.

Last month, Romney appeared at an Univision forum where he asserted, “I’m not going to be rounding people up and deporting them from the country. …I will put in an immigration reform plan that solves this issue.”

Obama and Romney are in Denver gearing up for their first presidential debate—scheduled for October 3 at the University of Denver—before the election next month. Both candidates have worked towards attracting the Latino vote. However, recent polls show the president has a overwhelmingly clear lead over Romney among Latino voters.