Font Size

U.S. & World

E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Romney: U.S. Needs Skilled Immigrants

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

Recipient E-mail:*
- Your Name:*
- Your E-mail:*
Add a Message:
Send me a copy of this e-mail.

Type the characters in this picture:*

Click here to refresh with new letters

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

Print Share + Comments

Aug 20, 2006 4:49 pm US/Eastern

Romney: U.S. Needs Skilled Immigrants

LOS ANGELES (AP) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney addresses crowd. (File)
CBS

Close

numSlides of totalImages

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney told the California GOP convention Saturday the United States should encourage foreigners with skills to immigrate, while discouraging those who come here illegally and without skills.

"It is wrong for us to build an absolute concrete wall against those with skills and enterprise," he said, referring to foreign students who come here for advanced study, "and have a wide open door for people with no education and no skills."

His remarks were greeted with enthusiastic applause from this conservative crowd, for whom illegal immigration is a hot issue. Romney, a Republican governor in a Democratic state, is exploring a presidential run in 2008. California, with its reservoir of campaign cash, is a key stop along campaign trails.

Romney, a social conservative, also criticized gay marriage, saying, "every child deserves a mother and a father." He praised President Bush's aggressive foreign and military policies, and said the nation should wean itself from oil.

"This country is using too much oil," he said, adding that billions of dollars were being poured "down black holes in countries who don't like us."

He said improving education and investing in technology was the way to keep America competitive as Asian economies grow.