San Diego ( CNN ) -- Mitt , we hardly knew ye . Or should I say , `` primo ! '' As much as it embarrasses me to admit it , given some of his views and how he expresses them , the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and I could be distant cousins . Romney 's father , George , was born in Chihuahua , Mexico , and so was my grandfather , Roman . Que ? You did n't know that Mitt Romney was half-Mexican ? It 's true . In fact , if he makes it to the White House , in addition to becoming the first Mormon in the Oval Office , he could also be the nation 's first Hispanic president . Do n't laugh . Technically , Romney is just as `` Mexican '' as former New Mexico Gov . Bill Richardson , who was born of a Mexican mother and American father . When Richardson ran for the White House in 2008 , he was often touted by the media as someone who would become the nation 's first Hispanic president . Yet , I would imagine that a lot of Americans are n't aware of this branch of the Romney family tree , and that 's because it is not a detail that Romney usually talks about publicly -- and especially not on the campaign trail . That changed this week when Romney -- in talking about his father , a self-made man who worked his way up from nothing to become head of American Motors Corporation , governor of Michigan and a Republican presidential candidate in 1968 -- told a crowd at the Rochester Opera House in New Hampshire that his father was born in Mexico and came to the United States at 5 . Romney 's great-grandfather , Miles Park Romney , fled the United States and crossed into Mexico in 1885 to escape religious persecution . He helped build the Mormon enclave of Colonia Juarez in Chihuahua . Miles Park Romney never became a Mexican citizen , and neither did his son , Gaskell , or grandson , George . They were all denied Mexican citizenship because statutes on the books in Mexico denied that right to American settlers and their offspring . Speaking to the crowd in New Hampshire , Mitt Romney compared his father 's story to those of countless other immigrants who have come to this country seeking economic opportunity . My grandfather , a Mexican citizen , also came to the United States legally as a child in the early 1900s with his family , trying to escape the chaos of the Mexican Revolution . It was during the same time that Romney 's grandfather , Gaskell , returned to the United States with his family , also legally and presumably for the same reason . Now , hold on to your sombrero . I 'm an American , born in the United States to parents who were born in the United States . In fact , three of my four grandparents were born in the United States . And yet , growing up , people in my hometown in Central California referred to me and other Mexican-Americans like me as `` Mexican . '' That was the shorthand . But comparing bloodlines , you could say that Romney is more `` Mexican '' than I am . After all , Romney is just one generation removed from our ancestral homeland ; I 'm two . This is ironic given that I 've spent the last 20 years criticizing politicians who twist the facts , propose simple solutions and pick on those who do n't have a voice . And Romney has spent the last several months doing precisely that , just like he did during his failed 2008 presidential bid . He has used illegal immigration as a weapon against Republican opponents who propose reasonable solutions and in the process portrayed illegal immigrants , most of whom come from Mexico , as takers who come to the United States for free public benefits and ought not be rewarded with `` amnesty . '' We can expect Romney to continue that theme over the next week as he campaigns in South Carolina , where Republican primary voters will cast ballots on January 21 and where illegal immigration is a bigger issue than in Iowa or New Hampshire . Lawmakers in the Palmetto State recently passed a tough Arizona-style immigration law that requires local and state police to determine the immigration status of anyone they suspect to be an illegal immigrant ( read : Latinos ) . It 's an approach that is wildly unpopular with Latinos and which has the blessing of most of the Republicans running for president , including Mitt Romney . And that 's one reason why Romney , even if he is the GOP nominee for president , does n't have much of a chance with Latino voters . Political experts say that a Republican would have to earn at least 30 % of the Latino vote to win the White House . Given how he behaved in the primaries , Romney will be lucky to get 20 % . In fact , a recent poll of Latino voters by the Pew Hispanic Center put the figure at 23 % . While it found a high level of anger with President Barack Obama among Latinos over his aggressive deportation policies , the poll also found that -- in a Obama-Romney matchup -- the Democrat would easily beat the Republican , 68 % to 23 % . That 's saying something given that , according to the survey , Obama 's job approval rating with Latinos is just 49 % . The takeaway : You want to make Obama more popular with Latinos ? Easy . Pit him against Romney . Listen to Lionel Sosa , a San Antonio-based advertising executive and Republican strategist who has advised George W. Bush and John McCain . A few months ago , Sosa told The New York Times that Romney had blown his chance with Latinos . `` ( Romney ) can make as many trips to Florida and New Mexico and Colorado and other swing states that have a large Latino population , '' said Sosa , `` but he can write off the Latino vote . '' It was Romney who recently promised to veto the Dream Act if he 's elected president and if Congress passes the bill . The legislation , which would allow undocumented students to stay in the country legally if they complete a college degree or join the military , is extremely popular with Latinos . It was Romney who first attacked Texas Gov . Rick Perry for signing a law that allows illegal immigrants who live in Texas to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities . And it was Romney who later attacked former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for declaring that the GOP should n't support splitting up families and proposing a pathway for the undocumented to work legally in the United States . It was Romney who , in the debates , came across as naive by suggesting that the illegal immigration problem could be solved by simply putting more `` boots on the ground '' and as dishonest by not acknowledging the contributions that illegal immigrants make to the local , state and national economies . And it was Romney whose campaign put up , in New Hampshire , an offensive television ad that attacked Perry by linking him to Mexico and former Mexican President Vicente Fox , because Fox happened to agree with the Texas governor on letting illegal immigrants pay in-state tuition . So the candidate who winds up vilifying Mexico is the same one whose father was born in Mexico ? Who can make sense of this ? Listen up , Primo Mitt . You 've made your bed . You 're persona non grata with Latino voters , and it 's your own fault . You ca n't win without them , but they can help make sure you lose . We do n't care where your family 's from . What matters is where your heart is . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarrette Jr .
. Romney told a crowd in New Hampshire of his father 's Mexican roots . Ruben Navarrette says it 's fair to say Romney could be first Hispanic president . Yet he says Romney wo n't get allegiance of Latino voters because of his stance . Poll of Latino voters shows President Obama would have huge edge over Romney .