Unable to highlight on my phone. I think Romney is Trump’s lap dog and wants to avoid a messy primary.
Link: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/...487738?cid=apn

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor vying for a Senate seat in Utah, said he's "more of a hawk on immigration" than President Donald Trump, arguing that the young undocumented immigrants protected under an Obama-era initiative should not be "allowed to stay in the country legally."

Romney, who ran for the presidency in 2012 but was defeated by former President Barack Obama, touted his conservative credentials during an event on Monday in Provo, Utah, according to local media.

The former GOP nominee also described himself as a "deficit hawk," a stance he said makes him "more conservative than a lot of Republicans and a lot of Democrats."

Romney added that his Republican bona fides extended to the ongoing debate over immigration, citing his opposition to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program rescinded by Trump last year.

"I’m also more of a hawk on immigration than even the president," Romney said, according to The Daily Herald. "My view was these DACA kids shouldn’t all be allowed to stay in the country legally."

Trump announced in September he was ending the Obama-era immigration initiative, which provided work permits and some protection from deportation to people in the U.S. who entered illegally as children.

Trump has suggested he would support a legislative remedy on the issue, but the White House has opposed several congressional proposals that would have extended protections to DACA recipients.

The president has insisted that any deal on DACA must also include funding for his controversial wall along the southern U.S. border, a proposal that has drawn heavy criticism from Democratic officials and immigration advocacy groups.

Romney, who was widely expected to run to replace retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), officially announced his bid last month.

"I am ready to fight for this great state and advocate for solutions that improve the lives of Utahns," he said.