There has been strange new respect for Mitt Romney ever since he became a token “Resistance” Republican with his outspoken criticism of Donald Trump during the last presidential campaign. Yet Romney provides occasional reminders that he is less reflective of a “model for what post-Trump GOP governance might look like” than the fact that a lot of the GOP’s problems predate Trump.

This week, the former Massachusetts governor turned Utah Senate candidate reminded us he is something of an immigration hardliner. “I’m also more of a hawk on immigration than even the president,” Romney told supporters. “My view was these [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] kids shouldn’t all be allowed to stay in the country legally. I will accept the president’s view on this, but for me, I draw the line and say those who’ve come illegally should not be given a special path to citizenship.”

So much for the idea that Romney symbolizes Utah Republicans’ “openness to immigration” compared to the conservative base elsewhere in the country. Trumpian nationalism may not carry the day with Mormon GOP voters, but Romney actually won the Republican presidential nomination himself in 2012 by running to the right of Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry on immigration. Now, for the moment at least, Romney favors a less generous legal status for DACA recipients than Trump.