SALT LAKE CITY – Mitt Romney on Monday said states have a duty and a right to secure their borders even as he called for a bipartisan national immigration strategy.

The likely Republican nominee did not address the merits of the Supreme Court's decision to strike down key parts of Arizona's tough immigration enforcement law. But he used it as an opportunity to criticize President Barack Obama for inaction on immigration reform until recently.

"This represents yet another broken promise by this president. I believe that each state has the duty – and the right – to secure our borders and preserve the rule of law, particularly when the federal government has failed to meet its responsibilities," Romney said in a written statement released before he left Salt Lake City to fly to a planned fundraiser in Arizona.