Hispanic leader: Romney admitting immigration system is broken a 'breakthrough'

Mitt Romney has a long way to go in developing a detailed immigration policy, but his statement in a Thursday speech to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials that the system needed to be overhauled was a "breakthrough," according to one of those leaders.

"He actually said we have a broken immigration system," NALEO Executive Director Arturo Vargas told The Hill. "I think it was a breakthrough for him to acknowledge the system is broken — that's not something we've heard from him before."

Vargas said Romney's focus on the economy and immigration "shows he understands what the priorities are in the community," but said he needed to go further in outlining what his actual immigration reform proposals are.

Romney's speech offered new policy details in immigration, an issue that divides his party and is seen as crucial in an election against President Obama that could come down to Hispanic voters in swing states. He also didn't say whether he would uphold Obama's recent executive order not to deport undocumented immigrants who to the United States as children.

"He said, like his response was before, he'd propose a permanent solution. He hasn't said what that solution is yet," Vargas said. "People want specifics. He was much more specific on what he’d do on the economy than what he’d do on immigration."

Romney promised to put in place a "long-term solution that will replace and supersede the president’s temporary measure" but did not say whether he would keep undocumented immigrants who came here as children from being deported.

The DREAM Act would provide a path for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants brought into the country as children who go to college or serve in the military.

Vargas said those he'd talked to were mostly mixed on the speech, and that the thing most were happy about was Romney's call to keep families together.

This post was updated at 10:05 p.m.

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