The waters of exactly where the candidate and his party stand on immigration issues were somewhat muddied further when U.S. Senator from Florida, Marco Rubio, stated that Romney wanted to find a more permanent solution for the young people who would qualify for deferred action under the program.
Both Romney and Rubio emphasized that it would not be fair to yank deferred action away from those who had already paid the filing fee and received the benefit.
Many who would otherwise benefit from the deferred action program have been reluctant to apply, citing the uncertainty involved. Deferred action is a promise from the Government that it would not seek to deport an undocumented immigrant. But, it does not lead to permanent residency or citizenship. Moreover, it is not based on any new law, but on the discretion of the President to decide which cases get brought to Immigration Court. If Romney were to beat Obama, then there would be no guarantee that the grants of deferred action would continue.
Romney's statements on the issue do create something of an incentive to apply for deferred action now, and not wait until after the election. With Romney pledging not to deport those who received the benefit, but then saying that he would not continue with the program, those undocumented aliens looking for legal work authorization may be wise to submit their applications now, before a Romney Administration has a chance to terminate the program.
On the other hand, Romney's statements could be seen nothing more as a campaign promise.
Articles on Romeny's and Rubio's statements can be found here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-romney-immigrant-deportations-ban-20121002,0,5777536.story
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-rubio-dream-act-romney-20121002,0,2181168.story
http://www.boston.com/travel/destinations/2012/10/03/romney-would-end-obama-immigration-policy/8u4PI6NaVX75xTGlVNeEIN/story.html
By: William J. Kovatch, Jr.
(703) 837-8832
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