Mitt Romney photo

Romney Campaign Press Release - Four Years Later, Obama Still Hasn't Delivered Immigration Reform

September 20, 2012

"In 2008, Candidate Obama promised to introduce and pass immigration reform by the end of his first term in office. Despite majorities in both houses of Congress, President Obama failed to deliver and didn't even offer up a reform bill. Hispanics deserve a president who's willing to fight for immigration reform and won't place politics ahead of results. As president, Mitt Romney will work with both Republicans and Democrats to permanently fix our nation's broken immigration system." — Yohana De La Torre, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

In 2008, Candidate Obama Repeatedly Promised That He Would Pursue Immigration Reform In His First Term In Office:

In 2008, Candidate Obama Promised Univision's Jorge Ramos He Would Pursue Comprehensive Immigration Reform In His First Year In Office. RAMOS:"Senator Clinton promised to send a comprehensive immigration reform bill to Congress within her first 100 days. Can you match this promise? She did. She told us that."  OBAMA: "Well initially it was her first term. And then I think when I said I would do it in the first year she upped the ante and said 100 days."  ... RAMOS: "In the first year?" OBAMA: "In my first year in office." (Univision, 5/28/08)

  • Candidate Obama: "I Can Guarantee Is That We Will Have In The First Year An Immigration Bill That I Strongly Support And That I'm Promoting." RAMOS: "Can you do it in 100 days?"   OBAMA: "I cannot guarantee that it is going to be in the first 100 days. But what I can guarantee is that we will have in the first year an immigration bill that I strongly support and that I'm promoting. And I want to move that forward as quickly as possible." (Univision, 5/28/08)

Candidate Obama, On Immigration Reform In July 2008: "We Can't Wait 10 Years From Now To Do It. We Need To Do It By The End Of My First Term As President Of The United States Of America." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks Before The League of United Latin American Citizens, Washington, D.C., 7/8/08)

But President Obama "Broke His Promise" On Immigration Reform And Hasn't Delivered The Change He Promised:

Univision's Jorge Ramos: "President Barack Obama, He Broke His Promise. ... We Haven't Seen Change." TAPPER: "So that's known in the Hispanic community as Obama's promise. Did -- did he keep it?"  RAMOS: "La promesa de Obama, no. President Barack Obama, he broke his promise. It's -- it's that simple. We were -- we've been waiting for 18 months for change. We haven't seen change." (ABC's "This Week," 7/4/10)

"Obama Broke His Promise To Tackle Immigration Reform In His First Year In Office, Partly Because It Was Sidelined During His Long Push For Healthcare Reform." "Obama's 2008 election victory can be partly attributed to a huge turnout of reliably Democratic Hispanic voters drawn by his promise to deliver immigration reform that would allow millions of illegal immigrants a path to U.S. citizenship. Obama broke his promise to tackle immigration reform in his first year in office, partly because it was sidelined during his long push for healthcare reform. Obama has acknowledged that he is still committed to this pledge for federal immigration reform, but said it will have to wait." ("Has Obama Delivered On His 2008 Campaign Promises?," Reuters, 10/28/11)

And President Obama Has Been Busy Rewriting History On His Pledge — Claiming He Never Promised To Complete Immigration Reform In His First Term:

President Obama, On Immigration Reform This Week: "In 2008 I Didn't Promise That I Would Have Everything Completed By The End Of The First Term." QUESTION: "You've accomplished a lot but then critics, Republicans, and even people from your base, criticize you for making promises that you weren't able to fulfill, like immigration reform. Do you regret having made that promise and not being able to deliver it in your first term?"  OBAMA: "No ... If you look at the promises that I made back in 2008, we have achieved many of them: ended the war in Iraq, saved an auto industry on the brink of extinction, passed comprehensive health care reform which will provide millions of more people access to health insurance, including nine million Latinos who work so hard and have difficulty getting health insurance on the job, reforming our student loans program so that millions of more young people are able to get the support that they need. There are some things like comprehensive immigration reform that we have not got done yet. But in 2008 I didn't promise that I would have everything completed by the end of the first term. I said that we would begin work on all these things." (Maria Pena, Obama Defends Reform Agenda for 2nd Term," Latin American Herald Tribune, 9/17/12)

Mitt Romney, Romney Campaign Press Release - Four Years Later, Obama Still Hasn't Delivered Immigration Reform Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/302653

Simple Search of Our Archives