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Romney files, then fires at Thompson.

CONCORD, New Hampshire (CNN) - Just hours before former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tennessee, filed for the New Hampshire primary, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney took aim at Thompson for criticizing him for not speaking out against “sanctuary city,” until recently and misrepresenting his position on immigration.

“As Governor I deputized our state police to be able to enforce immigration laws throughout the state and when a bill came to my desk saying that the children of illegal aliens were going to get a tuition break at school I vetoed that. I insisted on English immersions in our schools,” Romney said.

“So during the years we are talking about I was fighting to protect legal immigration and end illegal immigration. Sen. Thompson as I recall was a United States senator. What was he doing on this issue when he was in the Senate? I think he’s a Freddy come lately to the immigration issue and I think my record as someone who has fought to protect legal immigration but to stop illegal immigration stands up against anybody’s in the country.”

Romney reiterated his proposal to reign in federal funding to sanctuary cities, and added, he was glad Thompson had “bought on to the view that I espoused.”

Romney later gave credit to Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado, for the original idea.

–CNN New Hampshire Producer Sareena Dalla

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Iowa Republicans and Democrats will have two days to shake off their New Years hangovers before braving the bitter January cold to cast the first votes in the 2008 race for the White House.

The Iowa Democratic Party on Sunday evening formally approved January 3 to hold its caucus, joining Hawkeye State Republicans, who approved the date for their own nominating event earlier this month.

"This date maintains the important common-sense principle of beginning the delegate selection process in the same calendar year as the election for which we are selecting delegates," Scott Brennan, chairman of Iowa Democratic Party, said in a statement. "But the overarching principle is to retain the importance of the caucuses. Holding the caucuses on the same day as the Republican Party of Iowa shows solidarity and unity in working to protect Iowa's First-in-the-Nation status, an important argument in the years to come."

The Iowa Democrats’ decision is one of the final pieces of the presidential nominating calendar puzzle to fall into place. New Hampshire still has not set a date for its primary, but Secretary of State William Gardner could make an announcement once the presidential primary filing period in his state closes Friday. With Iowa now scheduled to hold its contests January 3, Gardner could choose January 8 as the date for the New Hampshire primary.

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