NASHUA - In a flier that arrived in the mailboxes of New Hampshire Republicans this week, former governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts accuses three of his opponents of being soft on illegal immigration, as a fourth - former governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas - sounded a tougher tone yesterday on the issue.
The glossy mailer features an image of an American flag in the hazy backdrop behind a chain-link fence alongside assertions that former mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York, Senator John McCain of Arizona, and former senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee supported amnesty, benefits, and protections for illegal immigrants.
Representatives of the three campaigns said the document misrepresented their records on the issue, which polls suggest is of paramount importance to Republican primary voters.
"Mitt Romney's already changed his own position on illegal immigration, so it should come as no surprise that he's trying to change everybody else's position as well," Giuliani spokeswoman Maria Comella said in a statement yesterday.
"Romney has a record of twisting the truth about his own immigration record and is the last person to be criticizing anybody else on immigration," said Karen Hanretty, spokeswoman for Thompson.
The pamphlet did not mention the newly ascendant Huckabee, who has been criticized elsewhere by rivals for his 2005 proposal to let children of illegal immigrants apply for taxpayer-funded academic scholarships. In a book published this year, Huckabee wrote that illegal immigrants should "pay a reasonable fine" for being here illegally and be able to apply for a "pathway to legal status and citizenship."
In a proposal released yesterday, Huckabee appeared to take a harder-line position, proposing a 120-day window in which illegal immigrants must register with the US government and return to their home country. The individuals could then apply to immigrate without being penalized for their earlier illegal status. But those who do not return to their home country voluntarily would be not be allowed to apply for 10 years.
Huckabee, the last of the leading GOP contenders to unveil an immigration plan, also pledged to build a fence on the Mexico border by 2010, increase the number of border patrol agents, punish employers who hire illegal immigrants, and create a system to verify citizenship.
Romney's campaign had sent out a mailer to Iowa voters earlier in the year drawing contrasts with only McCain's position on immigration.
"We've heard all this before," McCain told reporters as he examined the new pamphlet while campaigning Thursday in New Hampshire, which holds its primary on Jan. 8.
