JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney landed the first blow in Thursday’s GOP debate against rival Newt Gingrich, demanding that the former House speaker apologize for his “repulsive” attacks on Romney.
Responding to Gingrich’s claim that Romney is the most “anti-immigrant” GOP candidate, Romney snapped, “Mr. Speaker I am not anti-immigrant. My father was born in Mexico and my mother was born in Wales. … The idea that I am anti-immigrant is repulsive.”
He said Gingrich’s charge is “the kind of over-the-top rhetoric that has characterized American politics for too long,” adding, “I think you should apologize for it.”
Gingrich stood behind his criticisms of Romney’s immigration policies, calling Romney’s plan to encourage “self-deportation” by America’s 11 million illegal immigrants an “Obama-level fantasy.”
The former speaker said Romney’s plan won’t work because “grandmothers and grandfathers — somebody who has been here a very long time — aren’t likely to self-deport.”
“Our problem is not 11 million grandmothers, alright?” Romney said in a mocking tone, eliciting laughter from the debate crowd. “Our problem is 11 million people getting jobs that many people — legal Americans — would like to have.”
