Supporters of the Dream Act hold aloft a banner outside the Republican presidential debate hosted by CNN and the Arizona Republican Party in Mesa, Ariz., on Feb. 22, 2012.
Obama dangled this argument in an attempt to scare Hispanic voters away from Romney. But it is inaccurate. At a Republican primary debate on Feb. 22, 2012, Romney said that Arizona’s e-Verify provision, which requires employers to check worker eligibility, should be a model for all states. He was not referring to the state’s entire controversial immigration law, SB1070, which included a provision that empowers police to check the immigration status of people they detain if they have reason to suspect that person was in the U.S. illegally.