Romney wants to put stop to illegal immigration

Candidate addresses health care, same-sex marriage

AIKEN — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney focused Friday on stopping illegal immigration and keeping Washington out of increased health care coverage as he wrapped up a two-day swing through South Carolina. He also spoke out against an Iowa court ruling allowing same-sex marriage.

During a morning campaign stop in Aiken, Romney said he doesn't want the federal government to take over providing health care for the nation's uninsured.

"Don't have 'Hillary Care,' " Romney said, referring to his favorite Democrat target, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. The former Massachusetts governor said he doesn't want to "have the guys who ran the Katrina cleanup" in charge of health care. He said he'd leave it up to states to design their own systems.

Romney said he'd help stop illegal immigrants by sanctioning employers that give them paychecks, and oppose so-called sanctuary cities that give illegal immigrants housing and other benefits.

Later in the day, Romney criticized an Iowa court ruling that temporarily opened the door to same-sex marriages in that state. "That's the wrong way to go. Judges should not be legislating from the bench. Judges should not be making up laws," he said.

Romney said he would renew his calls for a federal amendment to the Constitution that would ban same-sex marriage. "That's essential to our future," he said.

While Romney is willing to generally leave it to states to decide how to set up health care coverage plans, he said it shouldn't be left to states to decide same-sex marriage issues.

"It's a status that lasts a lifetime. And so, if somebody is married in one state and they move to another state, that status travels with them. And so, if you have gay marriage in one state, whether you want it or not, you have gay marriage in all states," Romney told reporters after speaking at a Greenville restaurant.

Traffic pulled over for Romney's caravan as Saluda County Sheriff Jason Booth, a Romney supporter, led the candidate's motor home and staff cars with his blue lights running from the Aiken County line through Saluda County to the Newberry city limits, according to an Associated Press reporter following the candidate.

The caravan traveled between 10 mph and 15 mph over posted speed limits of 45 mph and 55 mph.

"We wanted to make sure he stays safe and gets where he's going," Booth told The Associated Press.

Asked whether it's proper to use flashing police lights to escort a candidate, he said, "I'm not getting into this with you, sir. I have no comment." Booth, a former supporter of Arizona Sen. John McCain, said he switched to Romney in April.

Later in the day, Romney said his campaign requests that police turn their lights on only if there's a public safety concern.