Romney praises immigration crackdown

Mitt Romney, who is calling for tougher laws against illegal immigration as a major campaign theme, applauded the Bush administration's announcement today that is taking more steps to secure the border with Mexico and speed the expulsion of illegal immigrants.

"We must get serious if we are to secure our nation's borders," Romney said in a statement issued by his campaign.

"For far too long, lax enforcement and the adoption of policies that have created sanctuary cities for those entering the country illegally have put a strain on our border enforcement efforts and worsened our illegal immigration problem," the statement said. "We must take action to prevent sanctuary city policies that invite more illegal immigration and offer zones of protection for lawbreakers."

In the run-up to Saturday's straw poll in Ames, the former Massachusetts governor has been running an ad on illegal immigration and emphasizing the issue on the stump.