U.S. Border Control

Romney calls for tighter federal guidelines for employers

Republican Mitt Romney has denied any responsibility for hiring illegal immigrants as workers at his home, insisting it was the fault of contractors and calling for tighter federal guidelines to verify the status of workers.

'We have a country where there's not an employment verification system that allows companies to know who's in the country legally and illegally. And I've certainly never proposed that homeowners have a responsibility when they hire a contractor or company to then go out and inquire of the company's employees whether they happen to be legal or not. That's not the course of this country. It's even potentially against the law,' he told a reporter.

'The individuals in my home were not my employees. They were hired by a company. The company made a mistake in judgment. And that's why I terminated my relationship with them.'

He was responding to reports that undocumented yard workers and painters engaged in work at his Massachusetts home. The story of the lawn care workers dates back to last year. Republican rival Rudy Giuliani emphasized it at the most recent GOP debate, talking about Romney's 'sanctuary mansion.'

On Friday, the Boston Globe reported that a Boston-area company that painted Romney's Belmont mansion in recent months is under investigation by state authorities and accused of relying on subcontractors who exploited workers, including illegal immigrants.

Romney hired Olympic Painting and Roofing of Peabody, Mass., to paint the salmon-colored house in August, and the work was completed in October, according to Olympic, the Globe reported.