Sanctuary!

Mitt Romney has a new radio ad, proclaiming himself an “exceptional” governor for not providing sanctuary to illegal immigrants, unlike some people he could mention, Rudy Giuliani. But is Mitt stretching the truth in his abilities to stem the tide of illegal immigration in Massachusetts?

The Globe‘s Political Intelligence blog has a good analysis of the claims in the ad, pointing out that Romney didn’t push through the initiative to get specially-trained cops to arrest illegal immigrants until late in his term and that, upon taking office, Deval Patrick almost immediately rescinded it. It’s also noted that Cambridge, a city Mitt theoretically governed even though he probably wishes he hadn’t, is a sanctuary city (as are Chelsea and Orleans), so Rudy’s not the only one to allow sanctuary on his watch.

But the real kicker is that Mitt once allowed illegal immigrants on his own lawn and wasn’t aware of it. So, to recap: illegal immigrants=bad unless they are in your state and/or cut your grass.