WASHINGTON – Mitt Romney wants to improve his troubled standing among Hispanic voters while saying as little as possible about immigration. Events keep working against him.

The Supreme Court’s ruling Monday on Arizona’s immigration law, coming 10 days after President Barack Obama’s announcement that allows some illegal immigrants to stay in the country, is the latest instance. Romney’s cautious comments on the court decision underscored his discomfort with a topic that squeezes him between conflicting goals.

He needs to fire up his conservative base, where anti-immigration sentiments run strong. But Romney also needs to reduce Obama’s sizeable advantage among Hispanic voters.