SEIU leader: Romney wants to deny housing, heat and water to illegal immigrants

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/...gal-immigrants

A major union leader is accusing Mitt Romney of wanting to make life miserable for illegal immigrants by denying them access to heat and water, barring landlords from renting to them and obstructing their children's access to schools.

Eliseo Medina, the secretary-treasurer of Service Employees International Union, blasted Romney on Monday during a conference call announcing a Spanish-language radio ad the union is launching in partnership with Priorities USA Action, a super-PAC supporting President Obama.

Medina, the No. 2 official at the influential union, was reacting to an answer Romney gave at a debate Monday night where he said "self-deportation" was the answer to ridding the country of illegal immigrants.

"It's basically to say, 'Make their life miserable'" by refusing to rent to them or to provide access to heat and water," Medina said. "Make it difficult for their kids and their schools."

In Monday's debate, Romney was asked how he would reduce the number of illegal immigrants in the United States if he is opposed to mass deportations. The former Massachusetts governor said programs like E-Verify could be used to eliminate the financial incentive to remain in the country.

"If people can't work here, they're going to self-deport to a place where they can get work," Romney said.

Asked by The Hill how Romney's comments could be construed to imply that illegal immigrants should be denied basic necessities, Medina pointed to Romney's close relationship with Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who has endorsed Romney. Kobach has been credit with writing most of Alabama's harsh anti-illegal immigration law, which has been challenged in the courts.

"Mr. Romney has said he wants to support and he joins in supporting Kris Kobach," Medina said. "When he says he supports those kinds of policies, he has to own all of it."

A spokeswoman for Romney said a response to the comments would be forthcoming.

Romney has taken a more hard-line stance on immigration than most of his Republican rivals — most notably Newt Gingrich, who trounced Romney in South Carolina and who polls now show is leading Romney in Florida, a state with a large Hispanic population.

Florida will hold the next presidential primary on Jan. 31, and both Democrats and Romney's GOP competitors are hoping to use his strict stance on illegal immigration against him with Hispanic voters in the state.

Medina also accused Romney of hypocrisy for pandering to Hispanic voters in Spanish-language ads, then insulting them with his rhetoric in English and with endorsements from people like Kobach.

"Mitt Romney and other Republicans seem to forget Latinos speak English, too," Medina said. "We know what they say about us."

we shall see each other in hell then

Why? I don't see any point in this.

If a person is able to pay his own bill then he should have every right to use it. This is simply inhumane and horrible.

It will only mean less business to the utility sector.

Good luck to that. It takes a great deal to finally see how immigrants affect the US economy. Eventually everyone has to learn to fix their yard. Go to the route of DIY.

Wow if this is true that's terrible. I'm beginning to wonder if this guy has a soul. Ughh

is this guy for real? i wish one day his family would b in our situation and experience what we did

That's the kicker. His dad was born in Mexico

I guess when Mitt Romney's ADULT ancestors DECIDED TO immigrate to Mexico, they shouldn't have been given a chance to settle there and live normal lives as they were afforded, Mexico should've done the same thing that he wants to do to people brought here as CHILDREN who DID NOT DECIDE TO COME HERE, and should've denied housing, heat and water to his folks and forced them to "self deport" back to the US.

guys relax, this is unenforceable. The gov't would not be able to tell private utility companies who to service and who not.