Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney responds to reporters' questions in Manchester, N.H. Monday, Dec. 3, 2007. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

by Frank James

This was supposed to be the week where Mitt Romney could address the nagging doubts many Republican voters have about his Mormon faith with a major speech scheduled for tomorrow.

But the whole illegal-immigrant-workers-at-the-Romney manse has reared up again and threatens to distract attention from the former Massachusetts governor's planned faith message.

As most presidential politics junkies know by now, the landscaping contractor at Romney's house who was exposed in 2006 for using illegal immigrants at Romney's home was busted by the Boston Globe again this week for the same violation

The latest revelation threatens to make a mockery of Romney's efforts to portray himself as, if not as tough fellow Republican presidential candidate Rep. Tom Tancredo on illegal immigration, certainly tougher than another candidate, Rudy Giuliani, the leader in national polls.

Romney, of course, has ridiculed Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, for running a sanctuary city. Giuliani has shot back that Romney had a "sanctuary mansion." That attack by Giuliani was just given new life by this latest news.

Another unavoidable question is, what's up with that landscaper, Ricardo Saenz, who employed the illegal workers? He says Romney never told him after the first Globe story to cease and desist with bringing the illegal workers to his house, which contradicts Romney's statements.

But even if Romney didn't, was Saenz just not paying attention to the news about his famous customer? How could he not know that his company had become a part of the presidential debates and that Romney was taking heat for the illegal workers?

The Globe story says Romney met Saenz when the landscaper attended Romney's church. With fellow congregants like this, who needs political enemies?

It's all very curious. If you’re Romney, you've got to be wondering if the landscaper is a secret Giuliani supporter.

Evidently, Romney should have been looking for a new landscaper some time ago. It wil be interesting to see how he assures the new one doesn't have the same problem as the old one.

At the recent Republican CNN/You Tube debate, he asked in response to Giuliani what he should have done, ask to see immigration papers because people on the work crew was in a "funny" accent. He may not use that test but he clearly will have to come up with something.

Here's a key passage from the Globe's story.

Standing on stage at a Republican debate on the Gulf Coast of Florida last week, Mitt Romney repeatedly lashed out at rival Rudy Giuliani for providing sanctuary to illegal immigrants in New York City.

Yet, the next morning, on Thursday, at least two illegal immigrants stepped out of a hulking maroon pickup truck in the driveway of Romney's Belmont house, then proceeded to spend several hours raking leaves, clearing debris from Romney's tennis court, and loading the refuse onto the truck.

In fact, their work was part of a regular pattern. Even after a Globe story in December 2006 highlighted Romney's use of a landscaping company that employs illegal immigrants to tend to his grounds, Romney continued to employ Community Lawn Service With a Heart - until yesterday. The company continued to employ illegal immigrants.

The two workers confirmed in separate interviews with Globe reporters last week that they were in the country without documents. One said he had paid $7,000 to a smuggler to escort him across the desert into Arizona; the other said he had come into the country with a student visa that has expired. Both were seen working on the lawn by either Globe reporters or photographers over the last two months.

Questioned yesterday afternoon during a campaign swing through New Hampshire about the use of illegal immigrants on his lawn, Romney declined to answer. An aide said he would issue a statement, and Romney, emerging from a Concord restaurant, said, "Did you hear him? We'll give you a statement."

Last night, the campaign issued a statement saying Romney had just learned - apparently from Globe reporters - of the company's continued practice of employing illegal immigrants, and immediately fired it.

"After this same issue arose last year, I gave the company a second chance with very specific conditions," Romney said in the statement. "They were instructed to make sure people working for the company were of legal status. 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.

"The company's failure to comply with the law is disappointing and inexcusable, and I believe it is important I take this action," Romney said.

Romney's account differs from that of landscape company owner Ricardo Saenz, who said that Romney didn't press the issue of whether his workers were in the country illegally. Asked if the Romney household expressed reservations about rehiring him after last year's story, he said, "Why would they have any problem?"

For Romney, who has made curtailing illegal immigration a cornerstone of his presidential campaign, the revelation that he continued to employ the same landscaping company quickly fueled criticism from his rivals, at least one of whom - Giuliani - has already mocked Romney's commitment to the issue on the trail. As recently as last week's Florida debate, Giuliani chided Romney for operating a "sanctuary mansion" - a reference to last year's Globe story that first highlighted the illegal immigrants working on Romney's lawn.