Romney Campaign Press Release - Mayor Giuliani: Wrong On Illegal Immigration

"The Most Successful" Sanctuary Policies In The Country?

"You don't promote a lawful society by condoning illegality. As governor, I opposed driver's licenses for illegals, vetoed tuition breaks for illegals and combatted sanctuary city policies by authorizing the state police to enforce federal immigration law. As president, I will secure the border and reject sanctuary policies by cities, states or the federal government." – Gov. Mitt Romney

Mayor Giuliani Is Touting His Sanctuary City Policies, Calling Them "The Most Successful In The History Of The Country":

Giuliani Says That His Sanctuary Policies Protecting Illegals Immigrants Were "The Most Successful In The History Of The Country." "Back on track regarding the subject of illegal immigration Giuliani said, 'The policies that I utilized with regard to illegal immigration (in New York City) were, in the context of overall policies, probably were the most successful in the history of the country in creating an orderly, legal, lawful society.'" (Jan Simmonds, "Giuliani On Why He Can End Illegal Immigration, Why Others Can't," ABC News' Political Radar Blog, Posted 11/19/07)

Mayor Giuliani Ran New York City With A Sanctuary State Of Mind:

Mayor Giuliani's Sanctuary Policy Allowed The City University Of New York (CUNY) To Offer Tuition Breaks To Illegal Immigrants. "CUNY's policy of charging illegal immigrants the lower rate reflected the city's historic embrace of immigrants and conformed to a policy laid out by Mayor Edward I. Koch in 1989 and reaffirmed by Mayors David N. Dinkins and Rudolph W. Giuliani." (Karen W. Arenson, "CUNY Raises Tuition Rates For Foreigners Here Illegally," The New York Times, 11/3/01)

- In 2000, At Least 2,788 Illegal Immigrants Were Enrolled At CUNY. "CUNY, whose mission has long been to educate poor people, including immigrants, said it did not know how many illegal immigrants were enrolled this year. But last year, 2,788 out of the nearly 200,000 CUNY students identified themselves that way. Since CUNY does not require proof of a student's status, it does not know how many of its other students are in the United States illegally." (Karen W. Arenson, "CUNY Raises Tuition Rates For Foreigners Here Illegally," The New York Times, 11/3/01)

The New York Daily News Attacked Mayor Giuliani For Ignoring Immigration Laws, Like Granting Illegal Immigrants In-State Tuition Breaks. "Mayor Giuliani is actually suing the federal government to be relieved of the requirement that city workers turn over information about illegal immigrants to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. At City University, undocumented aliens qualify for the low resident tuition if they've lived here for a year. And just last week, the mayor announced that immigrants applying for marriage licenses couldn't be turned away even if their visas had expired." (Editorial, "Not All Immigrants Are Equal," [New York] Daily News, 3/23/97)

- Daily News: Under Mayor Giuliani, "Illegal" Didn't Have Any Meaning. "But at the same time, federal immigration laws must be enforced strictly. For no nation can allow its borders to be violated with impunity. And state and local governments must help. In New York, that means making the adjective 'illegal' mean something when it appears before the word 'immigrant.' ... In other words, legal or illegal, the law makes no distinction. Then what's the law for?" (Editorial, "Not All Immigrants Are Equal," [New York] Daily News, 3/23/97)