Reid bashes Romney as 'out of touch' for comments on deporting DREAMers

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) criticized Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for comments his campaign staff made to the Boston Globe saying he would “not honor deportation exemptions” for young illegal immigrants if he takes office.

“Gov. Romney has set an unfortunate deadline for hundreds of thousands of DREAMers: get approval under President Obama’s deferred action before inauguration, or risk being deported if Romney is sworn in,” Reid said in a statement Wednesday. 

President Obama issued an executive order in June deferring deportation for immigrants brought to the United States at a young age by their parents.

“It’s hard to understand why [Romney] thinks that deporting hundreds of thousands of hard-working young people, who were brought as children to this country through no fault of their own, is good for the only nation they know and love,” Reid said. “It is clear that Kris Kobach, the architect of Arizona’s unconstitutional and anti-immigrant law, is firmly dictating Romney’s extreme immigration policy, even when most Americans feel it’s the wrong approach.”

Earlier this week the Romney campaign said he would not revoke temporary deportation exemptions that Obama made under his administration but that he would not issue any more exemptions after his inauguration. 

“President Obama’s decision to lift the shadow of deportation for these young people is not only common-sense policy, but it also reflects our values as a nation of immigrants that cherishes hard work and love of country,” Reid said. “Once again, Gov. Romney has proven to be out of touch with the nation in which he lives.”

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