Governor Romney fired his lawn care company today. He made the move in advance of a Boston Globe story reporting that, despite a year’s worth of controversy, the company continues to hire illegal immigrants to work on Romney’s lawn. Romney has a tough illegal immigration policy that he touts every day on the trail, but he gave the lawn company he uses for his Belmont home a second chance after it was revealed that illegals were working on his lawn last year. The Romney camp issued a statement from the former Massachusetts Governor saying he had terminated his lawn company today:

“After this same issue arose last year, I gave the company a second chance
 with very specific conditions. They were instructed to make sure people
 working for the company were of legal status,” the former Massachusetts
 governor said in a statement. “We personally met with the company in order
to inform them about the importance of this matter. The owner of the
 company guaranteed us, in very certain terms, that the company would be in
total compliance with the law going forward.

We personally met with the company in order 
to inform them about the importance of this matter. The owner of the
 company guaranteed us, in very certain terms, that the company would be in
 total compliance with the law going forward.”

Romney’s defense has always been that he hired the company, not the individual workers and that he can’t go up to every worker and ask to see their documents.

Romney was campaigning in New Hampshire today and said the very first thing he would do on the immigration issue if he was elected would be to build a border fence. Republican rivals have already started to attack Romney. Thompson’s campaign has put out a statement saying, “First Mitt Romney was FOR illegal immigrants working on his lawn, and then he was against it, then for it, and now I guess he’s against it again. Sounds like his position on amnesty.”

At the Republican debate last week Rudy Giuliani attacked Romney on this very topic and the Governor denied having illegal immigrants work on his lawn:

GIULIANI: You did have illegal immigrants working at your mansion, didn’t you?

ROMNEY: No, I did not, so let’s just talk about that. Are you suggesting, Mr. Mayor — because I think it is really kind of offensive actually to suggest, to say look, you know what, if you are a homeowner and you hire a company to come provide a service at your home — paint the home, put on the roof. If you hear someone that is working out there, not that you have employed, but that the company has.
ROMNEY: If you hear someone with a funny accent, you, as a homeowner, are supposed to go out there and say, “I want to see your papers. Is that what you’re suggesting?”

This scandal is in advance of Romney’s “Faith in America” speech on Thursday, arguably the biggest moment in his campaign so far.

UPDATE: Giuliani communications director Katie Levinson on the Romney statement: “I think it speaks for itself.”