TAMPA, Florida—Mitt Romney came out for "self-deportation" in tonight's NBC News/Tampa Bay Times/National Journal debate — a position unlikely to make anyone happy in the state's heated immigration debates.

Asked how the country could afford to remove illegal immigrants from the country, Romney replied: "The answer is self-deportation."

He explained that his e-Verify program would make it harder for illegal immigrants to find work — and that ultimately they would leave the United States on their own.

His answer does not satisfy business-owners who rely on the labor, nor immigration opponents who demand immediate deportation. It's a complicated position, that will likely rear its head on the campaign trail this week.