Border security group attacks Romney for flip-flopping on immigration

Tasty quotes, full release after the jump:

In 2006 Governor Romney supported the President’s immigration policy as well as the McCain-Kennedy bill.  He expressed support for an immigration program that places large numbers of illegal residents on the path toward citizenship and said illegal immigrants should have a chance to obtain citizenship.

He even went as far as to say that Republicans that break from the President on this issue are making a "big mistake" according to the Associated Press.

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Governor Romney has a long history of flip-flops on issues from abortion, to gun control, to gay rights.  This pattern of shifting positions should concern Iowa conservatives who are dedicated to securing our border and solving the illegal immigration crisis.

One wonders whether Mitt Romney’s flip-flops on immigration are going to create problems with conservatives on immigration. Ultimately, the issue is trust, much more than the issues, as much. Poll after poll have revealed that conservatives agree with what’s in the bill, but they don’t trust the elites. Why would someone who panders to them be more trustworthy?

Americans For Border Security Press Release: Romney Took Different Position In 2006 And Advisor Made Questionable Comments While Campaigning In Florida, State With Large Hispanic Population

Contact:  480-626-8694                          May 30, 2007

Des Moines – Today Americans for Border Security called on Iowans to ask Mitt Romney to clarify his position on immigration and explain in detail why his position in 2007 is different than his position in 2006. 

In 2006 Governor Romney supported the President’s immigration policy as well as the McCain-Kennedy bill.  He expressed support for an immigration program that places large numbers of illegal residents on the path toward citizenship and said illegal immigrants should have a chance to obtain citizenship.

He even went as far as to say that Republicans that break from the President on this issue are making a "big mistake" according to the Associated Press.

Now Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney says he ”strongly opposes” the immigration plan also denounced by conservatives even though his public statements suggest he actually agrees with major aspects of the proposal in Congress.

Mitt Romney opposes the legislation but won’t offer a plan of his own.  This worries conservatives such as Americans for Border Security because of his previous pro-amnesty position.

Romney advisor Al Cárdenas, a Cuban-American lawyer and former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, said, “The criticism he has received has been over the top and unfair. . . . I am confident that he will [put] forward an immigration proposal that Floridians and Hispanics alike will find fair.”

While in Florida Romney said he would "not deny" illegal immigrants the "opportunity to apply for permanent residency or citizenship," but he would not say how he would change the proposed legislation to make such application acceptable, according to the Palm Beach Post.

Governor Romney has a long history of flip-flops on issues from abortion, to gun control, to gay rights.  This pattern of shifting positions should concern Iowa conservatives who are dedicated to securing our border and solving the illegal immigration crisis

Americans for Border Security has hundreds of members across the United States including Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina and was formed to fight the Amnesty bill.