Mitt Romney Clarifies Immigration Stance: Will Cancel 'Deferred Action' Program If Elected

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney clarified his position on deferred action on Wednesday.

Previously, Romney had said he would honor the Obama administration's decision to suspend for two years the deportation of young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.

Now Romney says he won't take away the work permits of immigrants who have had them awarded by the program, but he will discontinue the program and stop issuing new permits and deferments.

The clarification is a bit of backpedaling for Romney, who received plenty of criticism from the Right and conservative activists in his own party when he announced his initial position on Monday.

"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," Romney told The Denver Post.

The program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals does not actually issue any visas. It requires that applicants be under the age of 30, were under the age of 16 when brought to the U.S., have no criminal record, and complete--or be in the process of completing--high school or military enrollment.

Those who qualify receive a two-year suspension of their deportation proceedings, as well as a work permit, with the possibility of extending the deferment after the initial two years.

It is not clear whether Romney's decision to cancel the program would result in the automatic cancellation of any work permits already issued after the initial two-year period.

Reactions were equally harsh from Democrats, as expected. "It tells us all we need to know about Mitt Romney that he sees fundamental fairness and decency for immigrant children who grew up in America as nothing more than a 'purchase' he doesn't want to cancel," said Representative Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, in a statement.

"Protecting these young immigrants from being deported sounds no more important to Mitt Romney than protecting someone who bought a sweater at the mall."

DACA does not grant amnesty from deportation or provide a path to citizenship, but it is considered a stepping stone for the DREAM Act, a bill that has thus far failed in Congress. The DREAM Act would begin the process of permanent residency and eventual citizenship for the undocumented immigrants currently eligible for DACA.