Mitt Romney announced on February 16,2018 Running for Senate in Utah

Mitt Romney announced on February 16, 2018 he would run for a seat in the United States Senate representing Utah.  One “Hot” topic he addressed in the video announcing his senate race was on immigration.  He stated, “Utah welcomes legal immigrants from around the world—Washington sends immigrants a message of exclusion.”  This seemed to be a softer stance than he previously had in 2012 when he first discussed his ideas and plans on the immigration issues.

In 2012, President Obama was an advocate for the DREAM ACT, which would have allowed certain undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children to obtain permanent residency.  At that time Romney did not support it, but in 2018 Mitt Romney has softened his stance stating that he was open to a long-term solution for the Dreamers.

Utah currently has a shortage of wage earners in areas such as construction, and people who are highly skilled in technology and computer science.  Romney now states that he favors more legal immigration to meet those labor needs in a state economy that has an unemployment rate of 3.1%.  Furthermore, more legal immigrants would help the need for a bigger labor force in Utah.

It appears that Romney is taking the stance that he would like to encourage legal immigrants who have training, experience, and language skills to come to America.  He is also in favor of a “merit-based immigration policy.”  In 2018, it’s likely that America will see a lot of political changes surrounding our immigration issues, and if Romney does win the Senate seat, he will be an important contributor to these political changes, including the issues facing our immigration system.

If you are looking for immigration attorneys in Utah JLJ Law Group can help. Contact us today at 801-883-8204.