This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012.

I'm Caleb Brown.

Mitt Romney's opposition to a great deal of immigration into the United States

has softened somewhat since his position as nominee became more secure. A mixed Supreme Court ruling and

a sitting president's de facto lawmaking on the issue. He's now forcing the

former Massachusetts governor to take bolder steps in favor of a rational policy.

Cato Policy analyst Alex Narasta comments.

Two events seem to have conspired against Mitt Romney. That is President Obama

announces his de facto enforcement of a law that has not been passed, that is

the Dream Act, or some form of it, and the Supreme Court has ruled on Arizona's restrictive immigration law and upheld the most

controversial part which was the provision that allowed people to stop

and ask for papers of anyone that they believed was here in the United States

illegally. Where does that leave Mitt Romney when it comes to talking about immigration and what has he said

in the past?

Well I think Mitt Romney is most known recently as being the guy in the Republican

primaries who has sort of took a very hard line against unauthorized

immigration.

So he came out in favor of the Arizona law.

He came out in favor of all the state-level laws across the country to try to crack down.

But since he has basically won the nomination,

he's come out on a little bit softer note.

So a couple of weeks ago, he gave a major speech

...