President Barack Obama said his inability to achieve comprehensive immigration reform during his first term was a disappointment for which he was ultimately responsible, but cautioned Latino voters that Mitt Romney would no better meet their political demands.

At a forum Thursday hosted by the Spanish-language broadcaster Univision, Obama said that more pressing issues -- like the perilous state of the economy in early 2009 -- and Republican intransigence were to blame for his inability to accomplish comprehensive immigration reform. Obama had vowed to pursue immigration reform in his first year; the president's failure to do so has to an extent endangered his support from within the Latino community.

"There's the thinking that the president is somebody who is all-powerful and can get everything done. In our system of government, I am the head of the executive branch. I'm not the head of the legislature. I'm not the head of the judiciary," Obama said. "We have to have cooperation from all these sources in order to get something done. And so I am happy to take responsibility for the fact that we didn't get it done, but I did not make a promise that I would get everything done 100 percent when I was elected as president."

The Obama administration did in June authorize administrative action that opted against pursuing the deportment of people who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children. The rule accomplishes much of the same outcomes as the DREAM Act, which Obama had supported and Congress failed to pass over conservative objections.

Obama sought to dispel the idea that his June action was meant to excite Latino voters.

"I think if you take a look at the polls, I was winning the Latino vote before we took that action, partly because the other side had completely abandoned their commitment to things like comprehensive immigration reform," the president said.

In reflecting on the difficulty he had in pursuing immigration reform, Obama also commented that he learned "that you can't change Washington from the inside -- you can only change it from the outside."

That comment quickly was made into fodder by Republicans, and Romney, stumping shortly after Obama's event this afternoon in Sarasota, pounced on that admission.

Moderator Jorge Ramos bluntly told the president that failing to pass immigration reform was a broken promise. Republican presidential nominee has seized upon this to make inroads with Latinos, among whom he badly trails versus Obama.

Like Obama in 2008, candidate Romney has promised to pass comprehensive immigration reform in his first year if elected. But while Obama had specified his reforms -- Obama had expressed support for the DREAM Act and a broader immigration bill that have immigrants in the U.S. illegally a pathway to citizenship -- Romney has not said what form his "comprehensive" effort would take, beyond stressing it would supersede the president's own action on immigration.

For both candidates, electoral considerations are firmly in mind in their politicking. Romney could fare more poorly with Latinos than any other Republican presidential candidate in recent memory. Obama led Romney 63 to 28 percent in the August NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Telemundo poll of registered Hispanic voters. That's a level of support well below his campaign's stated goal of 38 percent of the vote.

Obama, however, can't easily rest on that advantage. Enthusiasm in voting among Latinos is well below its 2008 levels, meaning the president still faces major work in motivating this crucial bloc to go to the polls. In states like Nevada, Colorado, Florida, Virginia and beyond, the Latino vote could prove pivotal.

TAMPA, Fla. – Republican elders said Sunday that this week’s Republican National Convention here in Florida offered Mitt Romney an opportunity to re-introduce himself to voters heading into the height of the fall campaign season.

As GOP heavyweights gather in Florida for a hurricane-shortened convention, some of the party’s most influential voices laid out on “Meet the Press” the stakes for Romney.

The convention offered Romney a chance “to reconnect with people,” said former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) of the forthcoming convention.

Convention organizers canceled Monday’s activities due to safety concerns associated with an impending hurricane, leaving Romney and the GOP with one less day to drive its message about what they charge are the failures of President Barack Obama, particularly when it comes to matters of the economy.

But Republicans also acknowledged that Romney must use this national platform to reverse some of the damage done to his personal reputation over the summer. The Obama campaign and Democratic super PACs have spent tens of millions of dollars on television ads in key swing states taking aim at Romney’s private sector career, personal wealth and handling of issues important to women.

Related: McCain: Further delays to GOP convention 'could be harmful'

Exacerbating problems for the Republican brand has been this past week’s uproar over Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin’s (R) comments about “legitimate rape.” Republicans have sharply distanced themselves from the conservative congressman’s remarks, while Democrats have sought to link those sentiments with Romney and the Republican Party as a whole.

“I'm surprised that we, the Romney-Ryan ticket, are neck and neck in the polls right now particularly with some of the setbacks we have experienced,” said Arizona Sen. John McCain, the GOP’s 2008 presidential nominee.

Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Ann arrive at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, to attend Sunday services on August 26, 2012.

Recommended: Hurricane impending, Republicans cancel first day of convention

Convention organizers have laid out a daily theme here in Tampa meant to soften Romney’s public image and offer greater insight into his family and charitable work, among other personal details. The convention also revolves heavily around leveling an indictment of Obama’s economic policy during the last four years.

It’s a high-stakes act for Romney; the conventions are regarded as one of the few opportunities to sway undecided voters, whose numbers are dwindling in this especially competitive election.

“This is the big Etch A Sketch moment for Mitt Romney,” Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said Sunday of the impending Republican festivities.

But there are also long-term stakes for Republicans this week in Tampa, particularly as it relates to closing the gap among women and Hispanic voters, with whom Obama enjoys a healthy advantage over Romney in the polls.

“My personal view is that we need to move beyond where we are,” Bush said of the current Republican rhetoric on immigration. He said that, on immigration, Republicans must change “not necessarily the core of our beliefs but the tone of our message and the intensity of it.”

But Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R), the chief proponent of a tough immigration law in her home state, said Republicans must emphasize “the rule of law.”

She added: “Certainly those kinds of issues are going to have to be discussed moving on into the future.”

Related: Jeb Bush on White House run: 'I'm not there yet in my life'

But Republicans overall stressed the primacy of the economy this election cycle, the issue on which Romney has an advantage over Obama in most polls.

“I think Mitt wins when it's about these big things,” Bush said. “When it's about the constant distractions, it'll be a very, very close race.”

WASHINGTON – In a moving naturalization ceremony in the East Room of the White House, 25 active members of the military declared their allegiance to the United States and became U.S. citizens on Wednesday.

The group hailed from countries ranging from the Ukraine to Cameroon to Honduras. President Barack Obama used the event to highlight his recent immigration announcement and renew the call for comprehensive immigration reform.

The president proclaimed that “America’s success demands comprehensive immigration reform” and that a “Dream Act,” legislation that would give young illegal immigrants a path toward permanent residency, was still necessary.

“For just as we remain a nation of laws, we have to remain a nation of immigrants. That's why as another step forward we're lifting the shadow of deportation…from deserving young people who were brought to this country as children.  That's why we still need a Dream Act to keep talented young people who want to contribute to our society and serve our country,” the president said.

He used the 25 men and women in uniform before him as an example of how the American dream “endures for all those…who are willing to work hard, play by the rules and meet their responsibilities.”

The president also declared the naturalization ceremony as  the “perfect way to celebrate America’s birthday.”  He also said of the group, “All of you did something profound.  You chose to serve.  You put on the uniform of a country that was not yet fully your own in a time of war.  Some of you deployed into harm's way. You displayed the values that we celebrate every Fourth of July: Duty, responsibility and patriotism.”

Last month, Obama announced a policy to stop deporting young illegal immigrants who entered the United States as children if they meet certain requirements.

After administering the Oath of Allegiance, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano highlighted efforts by the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to expedite the naturalization process for members of the military.

“Since 2001, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has naturalized over 80,000 members of the armed forces, bringing immigration services to our troops wherever they serve. And since 2009, we have offered non-citizen enlistees the opportunity to naturalize before completing basic training so they can graduate as American citizens,” she said.   

It currently takes a few weeks to a few months for an immigrant who has enlisted in the U.S. military to become naturalized citizen.   However, one must be a legal immigrant to enlist, therefore the president’s embargo on deporting young illegal immigrants does not give them an opportunity to enlist and find a way to citizenship via that pathway.

Team Obama, after a rough start, ends the month on a high note… Obama the escape artist… Can Republicans still repeal the law?... And do they have the appetite to do so?... Roberts puts his stamp on the decision... Obama travels to Colorado (arriving at 1:55 pm ET) to inspect the wildfires there… Rothenberg Report doesn’t see a House wave coming… And “Meet the Press” will have Nancy Pelosi, Bobby Jindal, and Howard Dean.

Pete Souza / AFP - Getty Images

President Barack Obama talking on the phone with Solicitor General Donald Verrilli in the Oval Office of the White House June 28, 2012 after learning of the Supreme Court's ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

*** Ending the month on a high note: Perception-wise, June started off as a rough month for President Obama and his allies. First came that disappointing May jobs report; then the Democrats’ loss in the Wisconsin recall; then more bad news out of Europe; Obama’s “the private sector is doing fine” remark; and finally the development that Team Romney outraised Team Obama in May. But the thing about perception is that it can change, and it did in the second half of the month. The president’s immigration/deportation announcement put Romney on the defensive; the Washington Post made the charge that Romney invested in firms that shipped jobs overseas; numerous polls showed that the overall fundamentals of the race hadn’t changed, suggesting that the Obama ads have been more effective in the swing states than the GOP ads; and yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court -- countering a lot of the conventional wisdom -- upheld his signature health-care law. So what started out as a rocky month for Obama ended in a better place for him, just as he embarks on his post-July 4 bus tour through Ohio and Pennsylvania next week.

*** The escape artist: Yesterday’s SCOTUS outcome was typical of what we’ve seen for Obama over the past four years: He finds his back against the wall -- sometimes due to his own doing, sometimes not -- and then escapes disaster. We saw this during the Dem primary season before Iowa (remember the summer of ’07); during Jeremiah Wright; during the ’08 general after the McCain-Palin bounce, during the 2009-2010 health-care fight; and now after the Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday, which easily could have gone the other way. And make no mistake: The decision upholding the law was something Obama and his allies NEEDED; they had to have something to show for the steep price they paid for the health-care law. This was a hurdle the president had to clear to get to November; but the ruling is no political booster rocket. He simply doesn’t have a new drag. Of course, as relates to his re-election, Obama once again finds his back against the wall. The unemployment rate is at 8.2%, and a majority of Americans think the country is on the wrong track. Can he again pull a rabbit from his hat here? We’ll find out in four months.

*** Can Republicans still repeal the law? As for Mitt Romney, his campaign made lemonade out of yesterday’s health-care lemons by announcing that it and its victory fund raised more than $4 million from 42,000 donors since Thursday’s ruling. (Although do keep in mind that Team Romney averaged $2.5 million per day last month.) And Romney made this argument after the decision -- vote for me because I will repeal the health-care law. But is repeal a realistic outcome? On “Morning Joe,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said that Senate Republicans could do it through reconciliation. But conservative writer David Frum argues that Republicans would no longer have the high political ground; they’d find themselves in the same position Democrats did in 2009-2010. “Suddenly it will be their town halls filled with outraged senior citizens whose benefits are threatened; their incumbencies that will be threatened.” The New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza makes two other points: 1) the Congressional Budget Office, like it did last time, would probably rule that repealing the health-care would INCREASE the deficit, and 2) reconciliation can be used only for things that have a budgetary effect. “Much of the A.C.A., such as the insurance exchanges and subsidies, would fall under these categories. But a lot of it, including the hated individual mandate, does not.”

*** And how much appetite do they have? Here’s a separate question: How much appetite will Romney have in continually making this repeal argument? Indeed, Obama already had a rebuttal to this in his own remarks yesterday: Isn’t it time to move on? “The highest Court in the land has now spoken… But what we won’t do -- what the country can’t afford to do -- is refight the political battles of two years ago, or go back to the way things were.” There’s also the risk for Romney that talking about repealing health-care will only give Team Obama opportunities to show clips like this one, via American Bridge, of Romney touting his Massachusetts health-care law and its own individual mandate. And Romney’s folks may come to the conclusion that they don’t need to talk about health care because every other Republican will. He may have the luxury (and political necessity) to pivot off of health care, other than using it at rallies, while the various House and Senate GOP candidates pound away. This is one of those issues that could have less impact on the presidential but more on the downballot races.

*** Roberts puts his stamp on the decision: And, of course, we have to talk about Chief Justice John Roberts. Back in March, after the oral arguments in the health-care case, we wrote about the negative consequences of another 5-4 decision. But the 5-4 decision we got yesterday -- with the conservative Roberts joining the four reliable liberal justices – was something different: It made the court look less political. “The fact that the chief justice, a conservative appointed by Republicans, wrote the opinion today would and should give Americans a lot of confidence in the decision that it's not just a political thing," SCOTUSBlog’s Tom Goldstein told NBC’s Pete Williams yesterday. In the process, Roberts is getting lots of praise in the MSM (though also criticism on the right). Here’s Dana Milbank’s headline in the Washington Post: “The umpire strikes back.” For you conservative historians, we even saw some Twitter references to the old “impeach Earl Warren” billboards. That said, we’re fascinated by the contortions many more serious conservative commentators are doing re: Roberts. They are actually holding their fire.

*** Obama travels to Colorado: Transitioning from yesterday’s health-care decision, Obama heads to Colorado today to inspect the wildfires spreading throughout the state. He arrives in the state at 1:55 pm ET.

*** Team Rothenberg doesn’t see a House wave coming: The Rothenberg Political Report has updated its House forecast for November. Bottom line: It (like the Cook Political Report) doesn’t see a wave coming. “Our new projection for gains/losses in the House this November is now between a +1 gain for Republicans and a +6 gain for Democrats.” More: “We rate 201 seats a safe GOP, 161 safe Dem, 25 as Lean/Favored for the GOP, 19 for Lean/Favored for the Dems, and we have 29 total tossups. The 29 includes 9 pure toss-ups (CA-7, CO-6, IL-11, MN-8, NY-1, NY-19, NY-21, NY-27, PA-12), 15 Toss-Up/Tilt GOP (CA-52, CO-3, FL18, IA-3 moved this week toward the GOP, IL 12, IL13, MI 1 moved this week toward the Democrats, MI11, NH1, NV3, NY11, NY18, OH, 16, TX 23 and UT4), and 5 Toss-Up/Tilt Democrat (CA-41, NY24, RI1, WA1).”

*** On “Meet” this Sunday: NBC’s David Gregory will interview House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, plus have a debate between Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Howard Dean.

Countdown to GOP convention: 59 days
Countdown to Dem convention: 66 days
Countdown to Election Day: 130 days

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SALEM, VA -- Mitt Romney said Tuesday that President Obama will have "wasted" much of his first term if the Supreme Court decides Thursday that the president's health reform law is unconstitutional.

Amid a flurry of politically important rulings by the high court this week -- including yesterday's immigration decision -- Romney positioned himself in anticipation of Thursday's scheduled verdict on "ObamaCare."

"If Obamacare is not deemed constitutional, then the first three and a half years of this president's term will have been wasted on something that has not helped the American people," Romney told a crowd of some 1,500 supporters here today. "If it is deemed to stand, then I'll tell you one thing. Then we'll have to have a president, and I'm that one, that's gonna get rid of Obamacare. We're gonna stop it on day one."

Romney has long been forced to wrestle with conservative skeptics, who see Romney's health care reform law in Massachusetts -- including the requirement that individuals to purchase health insurance or face a penalty -- as a model for the president's reform. Romney's pledge to repeal the national law is a daily part of his stump speech, but takes on added meaning as the clock ticks down toward Thursday, the final day on which the court has scheduled the release of opinions.

If the entire law (or just the individual mandate) is struck down, Romney's comments today suggest he will use the ruling to batter the president for wasting his time and political capital on a law that was ultimately wiped out, rather than focusing on the economy.

Romney also used his rally here today to respond for the first time publicly to yesterday's Supreme Court ruling on Arizona's stiff immigration law, elements of which Romney praised during the primary campaign.

The former Massachusetts governor described the court's involvement in the Arizona case as an example of a presidential failure in leadership, saying that had the president and a Democratic congress just passed immigration reform, immigration issues would not be the "muddle" they are now.

"The Supreme Court had to step in because states had to step in," Romney said. "States looking to find a way to solve the problems he didn't address, tried to address it in their own ways, and now the Supreme Court's looked at it, and what we're left with is a bit of a muddle, but what we know is the president failed to lead."

Romney also addressed the immigration case at a private fundraiser yesterday, in which he pledged to pass his own immigration reform plan -- which revolves around simplifying legal immigration and placing strict limits in place to prevent the hiring of illegal immigrants -- within one year of taking office.

In neither appearance did he clearly state whether or not he agreed with the Supreme Court's ruling, focusing instead on each state's right to address immigration issues if the federal government fails to do so.

Today's rally took place in the Roanoke media market, which NBC's First Read reported this morning is the second most active media market for political advertising in the country this week with Romney and his GOP allies narrowly outspending Obama and Democrats. With that focus in mind, the presumptive GOP nominee said today that he would take back the Old Dominion this election, after the once-reliably Republican state flipped into the Democratic column in 2008.

"We're going to win in Virginia," Romney said as he wrapped up his remarks. "We're going to win in November."

“Mitt Romney reacted to the Supreme Court's ruling on the Arizona immigration law by criticizing President Obama, blaming him for failing to lead on the issue,” USA Today notes. Romney said, "I believe each state has the duty -- and the right -- to secure our borders and preserve the rule of law, particularly when the federal government has failed to meet its responsibilities.”

“Mitt Romney touched down briefly onto ground zero of the national immigration debate Monday, telling a crowd of Republican donors in Arizona that he was disappointed with the Supreme Court decision on their state’s immigration law but that President Barack Obama deserved blame for creating a legal muddle,” the Boston Herald writes. Romney said, "I would have preferred to see the Supreme Court give more latitude to the states, not less.”

Back at it: Sarah Palin once again defended herself for claiming there are “death panels” in the health-care law. "Though I was called a liar for calling it like it is, many of these accusers finally saw that Obamacare did in fact create a panel of faceless bureaucrats who have the power to make life and death decisions about health care funding,” she wrote.

CHRISTIE: Romney raises money in New Jersey with the Garden State governor tonight.

JINDAL: Ramesh Ponnuru likes Bobby Jindal, per GOP 12.

PORTMAN: Dick Cheney thought Rob Portman was tougher in debate prep than Joe Lieberman was in real life.

RICE: Condi Rice again ruled out being veep despite her rousing speech in Utah before Romney donors, et al. "I didn't run for student council president; I don't see myself in any way in elective office. I love policy, I'm not particularly fond of politics,” she said on CBS, adding, “I'm saying there is no way I will do this, because it's really not me."

Despite her disdain for politics, NBC’s Alex Moe reports on Rice’s speech at a fundraiser before a conservative women’s group on Capitol Hill, her first such Capitol Hill fundraising event.

RUBIO: “Before the Supreme Court of the United States gutted much of the Arizona immigration law in a decision released on Monday, Rubio tackled the subject on an appearance on ‘Fox and Friends’ on Fox News earlier in the day,” Sunshine State News writes. Despite Romney having called the Arizona law a “model” for the nation, Rubio said, “I think Arizona-type laws are not the ideal. But we have to understand why states like Arizona did it and if we really don’t like Arizona laws then the federal government should do its job.”

Still Rubio praised Romney on immigration, calling him “the most compelling voice in favor of legal immigration that we’ve seen in quite some time.”

Mitt Romney's campaign is weathering increasing media scrutiny of the candidate's stubborn refusal to address major issues on anything but his own terms, threatening to transform a standoff with the media into an issue in itself in the campaign.

Charles Dharapak / AP

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney sidestepped the Supreme Court decision itself in an initial written statement.

The latest example: the presumptive Republican nominee's general refusal to opine directly on today's Supreme Court decision striking down many aspects of Arizona's tough immigration law, but upholding another controversial component.

Romney's statement sidestepped the decision itself in an initial written statement, and turned its scrutiny toward President Obama.

"Today's decision underscores the need for a president who will lead on this critical issue and work in a bipartisan fashion to pursue a national immigration strategy," Romney said. "I believe that each state has the duty -- and the right -- to secure our borders and preserve the rule of law, particularly when the federal government has failed to meet its responsibilities."

Frustration between the Romney campaign and the traveling press pool reached a loggerhead on Monday during a gaggle with traveling press secretary Rick Gorka aboard the campaign's plane. Gorka doggedly refused to detail Romney's position in a 7-minute availability. A partial transcript, per NBC's Garrett Haake:

Q: Is it fair to say that he has no opinion on the Arizona law?

GORKA: Look, again, I'll say it again and again and again for you. The governor understands that states have their own right to craft policies to secure their own borders and to address illegal immigration.

Q: You're not answering -- what does he think about the policy in Arizona? Is it fair to say he has no opinion? You're refusing to give us an answer.

GORKA: Arizona, like many other states in this nation, take it upon themselves to craft policies for their own specific states. Governor has said repeatedly that states are a laboratory of  democracy, what one state crafts may not work in others but ultimately this, again, goes back to the president failing to deliver on his campaign promises. As candidate Obama, he said he would address immigration in the first year and hasn’t and instead put in a stopgap measure four and a half months before the election.

It wasn't until an afternoon fundraiser in -- ironically -- Arizona that Romney addressed the decision more directly, and even still he did so in a circumspect manner.

"I would have preferred to see the supreme Court give more latitude to the states not less. And there are states now under this decision have less authority, less latitude to enforce immigration laws," Romney said before declaring the immigration system a "muddle" for which Obama is to blame. He did not address whether Arizona's particular remedy was one he favored.

The press has started to take note of Romney's availability. He routinely shuns questions on the ropeline after events about the issue du jour, and his press availabilities are few and far between. His interviews are generally scheduled with friendly outlets; the former Massachusetts governor has appeared on only one Sunday morning affairs show beside "Fox News Sunday."

The presmptive Republican challenger to Obama has doggedly refused to offer specifics about Romney's approach toward some of the most consequential issues this year. As we wrote Thursday, Romney is almost exclusively focused on economy, arguably to his political expense if questions about his stances continue to linger.

The Obama campaign is all too happy to encourage reporters' scrutiny of Romney, too. Senior campaign officials said Romney's singular quality is "evasiveness," and the president himself almost seemed to take a subtle shot at Romney on Monday in New Hampshire.

"I will always tell you where I stand. I will always tell you what I believe," he said at a rally.

Romney's previous political experience seems to inform his caution. He drew on his experience as a Senate candidate in 1994 in an interview with the conservative Weekly Standard, in which Romney said that going out on a limb and expressing his support for eliminating the Department of Education. Democrats subsequently turned that position against Romney.

But the countervailing pressures reflect the types of campaigns both Obama and Romney wish to run. Team Obama wishes to turn the election into a choice, and Romney limits that when he doesn't speak to extraneous issues. Alternatively, Obama, as an incumbent, has an ample record from which Romney can cherrypick items to target.

It's not as though the charge that Romney is somehow opaque is a new one; moreso, it can prove sometimes to be a smart electoral strategy. His opponents from the right and the left have been accusing Romney of being a political chameleon -- on abortion, gun rights, immigration, and so on -- for the better part of two decades. It's what made the Etch A Sketch flap this spring such a resonant attack: it played into a core vulnerability of Romney's that crosses party lines.

The question for Romney has become whether this is a strategy he can ride all the way to election. If he and his campaign team stay so singularly focused on the economy and avoid entanglements over outside controversies, can they shrug off the media's protests?

SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- Mitt Romney pledged to reform the nation's immigration laws in his first year as president while criticizing the Supreme Court's immigration decision on Monday in broad terms.

Romney told donors in Arizona that he would have preferred that their state have more discretion in enforcing its immigration laws following a ruling by the high court throwing out much of Arizona's tough immigration law.

"Now you probably heard today there was a Supreme Court decision relating to immigration and given the failure of the immigration policy in this country, I would have preferred to see the Supreme Court give more latitude to the states not less," Romney told some 200 donors seated in a hotel ballroom for his remarks. "And there are states now under this decision have less authority, less latitude to enforce immigration laws."

Throughout the primary campaign, Romney defended the immigration law here, which called for local law enforcement to check immigration documents for anyone who they suspected may be in the country illegally (among other provisions), as the right course for a state to take when the federal government has failed to address immigration.

The court invalidated much of the law except for one of its most controversial prongs: the requirement that authorities check the immigration status of individuals whom they detain and suspect of being in the U.S. illegally.

Romney didn't address that provision directly, pivoting instead to accuse President Obama of a failure to lead on immigration and creating a "muddle" of the issue.

"The president promised in his campaign that in his first year he would take on immigration and solve our immigration challenges, put in place a long term program to care for those who want to come here legally to deal with illegal immigration, to deal with securing our borders," Romney said. "All these things he was going to in his first year he had a Democrat House and a Democrat Senate but he didn’t do it. Isn’t it time for the American people to ask him why?"

Romney has not remarked publicly on the Supreme Court case or immigration today, but in addressing the topic of reform with a group of donors here who collectively gave more than $2 million dollars to the campaign, Romney pledge to forgo stopgap measures and reform the U.S. immigration system within the first year of his administration.

"In my first year I will make sure we actually do take on immigration, we secure our border, we make sure that we grow legal immigration in a way that provides people here with skill and expertise that we want," Romney said. "This is an issue that has to be tackled."