Romney Campaign Slams Obama For Secret Immigration Comments

“President Obama has taken the Hispanic community for granted for the past four years,” says Martinez.

Image by Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

ABOARD ROMNEY CAMPAIGN PLANE — Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign accused President Barack Obama of taking the Hispanic community for granted after the president told the Des Moines Register that he thought Hispanic voters would carry him to victory.

The interview, originally off the record, was released by the campaign Wednesday amid criticism of the administration’s commitment to transparency. Romney adviser Alberto Martinez took Obama to task for only commenting on immigration because it was off the record, noting he’s only mentioned the term once since mid-September.

“It’s a fascinating glimpse into how President Obama has taken the Hispanic community for granted for the past four years,” Martinez said.

“The second thing I’m confident we’ll get done next year is immigration reform,” Obama told the Iowa paper’s publisher and editor in a promise he has not made publicly.

“And since this is off the record, I will just be very blunt,” Obama continued. “Should I win a second term, a big reason I will win a second term is because the Republican nominee and the Republican Party have so alienated the fastest-growing demographic group in the country, the Latino community.”

“He’s caught making secret promises to an editorial board in Iowa, which also happens to be a promise he made in 2008, a promise he failed to keep, and a promise he doesn’t repeat publicly,” Martinez added. “The whole episode underscores why millions of Hispanics are deeply disappointed with President Obama. Hispanics view President Obama as a weak leader who makes promises he can’t keep and has pursued policies that have failed all Americans.”