Jeb Bush spoke out Friday in support of immigration reform, but his claim that immigrants are “more fertile” might have startled people who otherwise share his beliefs. The former Republican governor of Florida spoke today at the Faith and Freedom Coalition in Washington, D.C. You can see his remarks in the video I posted below.

Well-known as the brother of former US President George W. Bush, Jeb Bush has been widely regarded as a possible front-runner for the US presidential race in 2016.

Twitter blew up within moments of Jeb Bush making the comment. He made the address to a crowd of mostly conservative activists.

In fact, the speaker ahead of him at the conference was Tea Party favorite Michele Bachmann, who opposes immigration reforms — as do many other conservatives and Republicans.

But Jeb Bush, who is a Spanish speaker married to a woman born in Mexico, insisted that immigration reform can be a conservative value:

“The one way we can build the demographic pyramid is to fix a broken immigration system to allow more people to come to learn English, to play by our rules, to embrace our values and to pursue their dreams in our country…This is a conservative idea. And if we do this, we will rebuild our country in a way that will allow us to grow. If we don’t do it — we will be in decline.”

A few moments later, Jeb Bush voiced his opinion that immigrants are “more fertile and love their families.”

His point of view wasn’t well-received. CNN called it “inarticulate,” and Yahoo News said that he was greeted with “tepid and sometimes absent applause.”

Check out the video and decide what you think for yourself, then enjoy a few of the reaction tweets:

Oh, Baby! "@NROcorner: Jeb Bush Push for Immig Reform (natch), says illegals have more kids, so let 'em in! http://t.co/TOoee8tkpL"

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) June 14, 2013

Disaster Confirmed: Jeb Bush Backs Senate Immigration Bill, ‘Hopes’ It Won’t Lead To Millions Of New Dem Voters http://t.co/3uZAmlPyj6 #WAR

— Patrick Dollard (@PatDollard) June 14, 2013

Well it's a bit of a relief to know Jeb Bush has no interest in ever being president.

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) June 14, 2013

Feel free to voice your own opinion in our comments section. What’s your take on his immigration position or the Jeb Bush theory that immigrants are more fertile?

[Jeb Bush photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and Creative Commons]

Jeb Bush: Immigrants ‘More Fertile,’ USA Will Decline Without Them [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) has announced she will back a bipartisan immigration overhaul plan in a move that will likely lend momentum to the measure currently being debated in the Senate.

Ayotte, who was elected to office in 2010, is the first Republican to endorse the bill, aside from its original backers from the Senate’s so-called “Gang of Eight.”

Ayotte is a former prosecutor and New Hampshire attorney general. She announced on CBS’s Face the Nation, “Our immigration system is completely broken. This is a thoughtful, bipartisan solution to a tough problem.”

The senator added that she hopes more high-tech workers will be admitted into the US to ensure that the country will have the “best and brightest here … to grow our economy.” She also praised the bill’s pathway to citizenship for immigrants who are already in the country, but don’t have legal status.

The pathway to citizenship, which Ayotte called “tough but fair,” would require illegal immigrants to “go to the back of the line, pay taxes, pass a criminal background check, learn English.”

Several amendments will face voting in the Senate, including a key test vote on Tuesday, before the legislative body votes on the final bill. That vote will likely happen at the end of June. At least 60 votes are needed for passage to keep the bill from being filibustered. Ayotte’s support of the immigration reform bill adds one more to the threshold needed.

But while the immigration bill has a chance of passing in the Senate, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) cautioned that the bill “has zero chances of passing in the House.” Paul added that he doesn’t like the bill’s cap on immigration workers. He also would not create a new path to citizenship for those who are already in the US on work visas.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte also explained her support of the sweeping immigration reform bill on her website, writing, “The status quo isn’t working. It’s de facto amnesty. We need immigration reform that serves the best interests of our country.” Under the new bill, the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country would face a 13-year path to citizenship.

Do you agree with the immigration reform bill the Senate is currently debating? How would you like to see immigration work in the United States?

[Image via United States Senate]

Sen. Kelly Ayotte Backs Immigration Overhaul is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Immigration Reform bill will cost $2 trillion over its lifetime if estimates by Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint are correct.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Rand Paul says the immigration reform bill must be delayed while the Boston bombing investigation is under way. Both major political parties chose to politicize the Boston bombing to support their view of Immigration Reform.

The Immigration Reform bill aims to boost border security, fix legal immigration and worker programs, require all employers to check their workers’ legal status and offer eventual citizenship to the estimated 11 million immigrants already living in the country illegally.

Jim DeMint says the current version of the Immigration Reform bill is unfair to current US citizens:

“There’s no reason we can’t begin to fix our immigration system so that we won’t make this problem worse. But the bill that’s being presented is unfair to those who came here legally. It will cost Americans trillions of dollars. … If you consider all the factors related to the amnesty – and, believe me, this is comprehensive – that it will have a negative long-term impact on our gross domestic product.”

A potential loophole in the current Immigration Reform bill would allow businesses would also benefit from $3,000 per year per person incentive to hire a newly minted legal immigrant over a US citizen. The reason this works out is because employers won’t be required to provide health insurance for these new legal immigrants nor will they have to pay the hefty $3,000 fine since they’re not eligible under Obamacare anyway. This loophole also means newly legal immigrants would also be a better hire for full-time work, while others might find their hours slashed to under 30 per week.

Republicans supporting the Immigration Reform bill are already facing a backlash similar to what happened after the 2007 Immigration Reform bill failed to be passed. Former Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) describes how bad the Immigration Reform debate became:

“I’ve been through this battle, and it’s ugly. My phones were jammed for three weeks and I got three death threats, one of which I turned over to the FBI. So it’s rough business.”

The 2007 Immigration Reform bill was estimated back then to cost $2.6 trillion, while the new version is slightly slimmer at $2 trillion. Overall, the rallying cry against the Immigration Reform bill can be summarized in one word: amnesty. Many US citizens share the perception that it’s unfair to essentially forgive a crime and then give the benefits of citizenship without a penalty being paid. But Republicans like Marco Rubio dispute this is what will happen.

What do you think about the Immigration Reform bill as it currently stands?

Immigration Reform Bill Will Cost $2 Trillion Estimates Jim DeMint Of Heritage is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Immigration Reform debate has been politicizing the Boston bombing investigation.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Rand Paul says the immigration reform bill must be delayed while the Boston bombing investigation is under way.

Rand Paul believe the Boston bombing investigation may reveal flaws in the current immigration system:

“I believe that any real comprehensive immigration reform must implement strong national security protections. The facts emerging in the Boston Marathon bombing have exposed a weakness in our current system. If we don’t use this debate as an opportunity to fix flaws in our current system, flaws made even more evident last week, then we will not be doing our jobs.”

Paul Ryan (R-WI) also says the immigration reform bill should address the Boston bombing, saying, “We have a broken immigration system and, if anything, what we see in Boston is that we have to fix and modernize our immigration system for lots of reasons.”

The Boston bombing investigation actually already has delayed the immigration reform debate. Janet Napolitano, the secretary of Homeland Security, was set to testify last week on the new immigration proposal but she was delayed until today.

On the other side of the fence, Senator Charles Schumer (D-N) is also using the Boston bombing investigation to politicize the immigration reform debate:

“I say that particularly those who are pointing to what happened, the terrible tragedy in Boston as, I would say an excuse for not doing a bill or delaying it.”

Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is also accusing Republicans of trying to “exploit” the Boston Marathon bombings on order to delay or stop the proceedings.

The target of this comment, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), took offense, claiming, “I never said that!” What Grassley actually said was:

“Given the events of this week, it’s important for us to understand the gaps and loopholes in our immigration system. … How can individuals evade authority and plan such attacks on our soil? How can we beef up security checks on people who wish to enter the United States? How do we ensure that people who wish to do us harm are not eligible for benefits under the immigration laws, including this new bill before us?”

What do you think about the immigration reform debate politicizing the Boston bombing investigation?

Immigration Reform Debate Politicizes The Boston Bombing Investigation is a post from: The Inquisitr

As the manhunt for the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing continues, Sen. Charles Grassley used the moment as an opportunity to discuss immigration reform.

The Senate Judiciary Committee was scheduled to hear testimony from Janet Napolitano, the Secretary of Homeland Security, on bipartisan immigration overhaul, but developments in the search for the second suspect forced the hearing to be postponed.

Grassley, the Republican senator from Iowa, and a ranking member of the committee, said at the beginning of the meeting, “Given the events of this week, it’s important for us to understand the gaps and loopholes in our immigration system. While we don’t yet know the immigration status of the people who have terrorized the communities in Massachusetts, when we find out it will help shed light on the weaknesses of our system.”

Grassley asked how individuals like the two suspects, identified as 26-year-old Tamerlan and 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, brothers who are originally from Chechnya, could “evade authorities and plan such attacks on our soil?” He then continued to question how the US could “beef up security checks” on people who want to enter the country.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said assumptions shouldn’t be made about the motivation behind the attacks in Boston and that the other senators shouldn’t “try to conflate those events with this [immigration reform] legislation.”

“In general, we’re a safer country when law enforcement knows who is here – has their fingerprints, photos, et cetera – has conducted background checks and no longer needs to look at needles in haystacks,” Schumer continued. “In addition, both the refugee program and the asylum program have been significantly strengthened in the past five years such that we are much more careful about screening people and determining who should and should not be coming into the country.”

Schumer then said that if the homeland security experts told the senators that changes needed to be made to the bill, he is committed to making them.

Frank Sharry, head of America’s Voice Education Fund and a longtime campaigner for immigration overhaul, said in a statement, “It’s premature to jump to final conclusions about the attackers. And it’s shameful that some on the far right are politicizing and demagoguing this issue.” He said some people are “exploiting this tragedy in hopes of derailing immigration reform.”

There is another interesting side to the immigration debate in regards to the bombing, one that was sparked by the uncle of the two suspects, Ruslan Tsarni.

Tsarni called his nephews “losers” who brought shame to their family and their Chechen heritage. He said the surviving brother, Dzhokar, should turn himself in and beg for forgiveness from the victims and their families. Tsarni also said that he respects and loves “this country which gives a chance to everyone else to be treated as a human being.”

Tsarni’s name quickly became a trending topic on Twitter, and users hailed the man as a “true American,” and said, “If that’s not an American, there are no Americans.” Netizens also commented on how Tsarni represented 99.9 percent of immigrants in the country.

Do you think Sen. Grassley’s comments were inappropriate or ill-timed? What do you think of the praise for Ruslan Tsarni?

[Photo credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr.com]

Sen. Charles Grassley Calls For Immigration Reform Following Boston Marathon Bombing is a post from: The Inquisitr

Obamacare and the new Immigration Reform bill would give a $3,000 a year incentive to businesses to hire former illegal immigrants over long term US citizens.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, US Senator Max Baucus called Obamacare a huge train wreck, with state healthcare exchanges apparently way behind schedule and small businesses unsure how to cope. Regal Cinemas blamed Obamacare for cutting workers hours because the law forces employers to provide health insurance coverage to everyone who works at least 30 hours, or pay a $2,000 per person fine, but then Regal Cinemas faced a backlash from Obamacare supporters.

Obamacare enrollment begins on October 1, 2013 and Obamacare subsidy application runs about 15 pages long for a three-person family. These forms ask people to estimate their future income, which may result in Obamacare triggering high taxes for your family in the future.

But the new Immigration Reform bill might cause Obamacare to be a positive for some businesses. Illegal immigrants who are granted provisional legal status will be treated the same as people “not lawfully present” under Obamacare guidelines. Provisionally legal immigrants will not be eligible for Obamacare tax credits or required to pay an individual tax penalty for failing to get health insurance.

But businesses would also benefit from $3,000 per year per person incentive to hire a newly minted legal immigrant over a US citizen. The reason this works out is because employers won’t be required to provide health insurance for these new legal immigrants nor will they have to pay the hefty $3,000 fine since they’re not eligible under Obamacare anyway.

New legal immigrants would also be a better hire for full-time work. As previously noted, some businesses are responding to Obamacare by cutting work hours to under 30. But if new legal immigrants don’t fall under Obamacare rules then there’s no reason businesses might try hiring these people for full-time positions, or even replace existing workers.

Do you think it’s fair that under the Immigration Reform bill being proposed current illegal immigrants will become a better hiring option under Obamacare?

Obamacare, Immigration Reform To Give $3K To Hire Former Illegal Immigrants is a post from: The Inquisitr

Florida Senator Marco Rubio is one of the Republican Party’s most prominent 2016 presidential hopefuls, and the young senator is now throwing all his weight behind an immigration reform proposal that could damage not only his appeal but the entire Republican Party brand.

That’s if Rubio fails. If Rubio succeeds and plays a key role in passing bipartisan immigration reform, it could go a long way towards determining who the Republican Party nominee for president in 2016 will be.

Marco Rubio is part of the Senate’s “Gang of Eight” lawmakers tasked with presenting a bipartisan approach to comprehensive immigration reform.

Members of the Gang of Eight include Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer of New York, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Michael Bennet of Colorado, and Dick Durbin of Illinois.

John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Jeff Flake of Arizona join Marco Rubio on the Republican side.

The Gang of Eight announced Tuesday that they would be ready to present a bill this week, but the unveil has been pushed back to next week. The Senate is wrestling with comprehensive immigration reform at the same that gun control proposals are being brought forward.

Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey, a Republican, joined West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin in presenting a background checks bill Wednesday that is sure to be the first of many amendments brought to the Senate floor.

Politico reports that Rubio has launched a lobbying campaign to convince conservatives concerned about creating a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants that his plan will be tough on the border.

Marco Rubio’s commitment to immigration reform isn’t a complete surprise. Schumer shared with Hot Air that Rubio has put a great deal of effort into producing a solid bill.

“He’s very fact-based, and he’s gotten his way a good percentage of the time,” Schumer said. “He’s persuaded people to his point of view a good part of the time. He comes prepared with facts, and if he doesn’t know something, he’ll ask the staff in the room. He’s not afraid to admit what he doesn’t know.”

Marco Rubio is one of three Cuban Americans in the senate and viewed as a strong candidate at a time when the Republican Party is hoping to woo the Hispanic vote. He was chosen to give the Republican response to the State of the Union, and though he gave fodder to comedians by reaching for a water bottle during his speech, it was far from the embarrassment that was Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s response in 2009.

Marco Rubio is currently 41 years old, meaning he would be even younger in 2016 than Barack Obama was when he became president in 2008.

If Marco Rubio becomes the public face of an immigration reform bill that attracts the ire of conservatives or fails to go far enough, it could damage the Republican brand either among conservatives or among everyone else, and Rubio could be the easiest face to blame.

But if the gambit works, and Marco Rubio finds himself playing a leading role in passing the first substantial immigration reform bill in decades, the Republican Party may have a young face to run at the top of the presidential ticket in 2016.

[Image by Gage Skidmore [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons]

Marco Rubio For President In 2016? Not If Immigration Reform Fails is a post from: The Inquisitr

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced FWD.us in a Washington Post column today, an advocacy group made of Silicon Valley leaders dedicated to passing bipartisan immigration reform.

“We have a strange immigration policy for a nation of immigrants,” Zuckerberg wrote. “And it’s a policy unfit for today’s world.”

In the column, Zuckerberg recalled that his great-grandparents immigrated to America through Ellis Island, that his grandfathers served as a mailman and a police officer, that his parents are doctors, and that he, in turn, became the young founder of one of America’s largest and most successful internet companies. Well, okay, he may have worded it more humbly.

“I started a company,” Zuckerberg wrote. “None of this could have happened without a welcoming immigration policy, a great education system and the world’s leading scientific community that created the Internet.”

Facebook’s CEO called for comprehensive immigration reform that includes effective border security alongside a path to citizenship that attracts “the most talented and hardest-working people, no matter where they were born.” He wants higher standards in schools and a greater emphasis on STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering, and math. Lastly, he wants investments in breakthrough discoveries that benefit the public, not just a few.

“We will work with members of Congress from both parties, the administration and state and local officials,” Zuckerberg wrote. “We will use online and offline advocacy tools to build support for policy changes, and we will strongly support those willing to take the tough stands necessary to promote these policies in Washington.”

FWD.us members include such tech heavyweights as Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google; Reid Hoffman, Executive VP of PayPal and a co-founder of LinkedIn; Drew Houston, founder and CEO of Dropbox; and many others.

The Senate’s Gang of Eight senators tasked with producing a comprehensive immigration reform bill intend to do so any time now. The bill, regardless of what is in it, will spark further debate in Congress over what form a path to citizenship will take and to whom it should be extended.

The change of a bipartisan bill passing through Congress has increased since Republicans suffered a frustrating defeat in November, despite a feeling of certainty within conservative media that voters were tired of President Barack Obama. Republicans now hope to attract more Hispanic voters and other minorities before 2016 becomes a repeat of 2012.

Facebook’s CEO and other tech giants see the opening for passing real immigration reform. Lets see what comes of it.

Facebook CEO Wants Immigration Reform, And He Isn’t Alone is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Gang of Eight senators intend to propose comprehensive immigration reform legislation on Thursday, presenting Congress with a bipartisan bill that may actually stand a chance of getting passed.

A member of the group told The Hill that the bill is virtually complete. The plan is to bring the bill to the floor this Thursday, but there is a chance the bill could slip into next week.

“There’s a tentative agreement on a number of things, and we’re waiting to see if it can get wrapped up,” Senator Dianne Feinstein of California told reporters gathered outside of the Senate chamber today. Feinstein has led the effort to negotiate agricultural visas, a key issue in the upcoming bill. The Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO came to an agreement on a guest worker program last month that played a large role in the debate.

Members of the Gang of Eight include Republican Senators Marco Rubio of Florida, John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Jeff Flake of Arizona.

On the Democratic side, there are Senators Chuck Schumer of New York, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Michael Bennet of Colorado, and Dick Durbin of Illinois.

Durbin and Menendez sponsored the DREAM Act in 2011, which would have granted citizenship to students who came to the US as children, passed a background check, and completed either two years of college or military service. The bill was ultimately killed by a Republican filibuster.

Rubio has reportedly put a great deal of effort into producing a quality bill.

“He’s very fact-based, and he’s gotten his way a good percentage of the time,” Schumer said told Hot Air. “He’s persuaded people to his point of view a good part of the time. He comes prepared with facts, and if he doesn’t know something, he’ll ask the staff in the room. He’s not afraid to admit what he doesn’t know.”

The blog reports that some conservatives are concerned by the roles played by John McCain and Lindsey Graham in drafting the legislation, two of the more moderate Republicans in the Senate. Conservatives have opposed comprehensive immigration reform out of concern that undocumented immigrants should not be rewarded for, as conservatives frame the issue, breaking the law. The upcoming bill will place such immigrants on a 13-year path to citizenship if passed.

“All of us have said that they’ll be no deal until the eight of us agree to a big, specific bill, but hopefully we can get that done by the end of the week,” Schumer said on CBS’s Face the Nation.

The Gang of Eight originally planned to unveil a comprehensive immigration reform bill in March, but assuming all things go according to plan this time, better late than never.

Senate Gang Of Eight Completes Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill is a post from: The Inquisitr

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s immigration policy reversal upset Republicans yesterday after Bush unveiled his new book, Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution, which puts forth an argument for immigration reform that does not create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. This marks a new policy position from a Republican who has previously stated support for creating such a path.

In his new book, Bush argues that allowing undocumented immigrants to acquire citizenship incentivizes immigrating to the United States illegally and that doing so punishes immigrants who attempt to immigrate properly.

Bush co-authored the book with Clint Bolick during the 2012 presidential campaign, a time when Republican presidential hopefuls were campaigning to the right. Bush finished the book before the end of the year, but the release comes months after Republicans have started to woo Hispanic votes. Some have outright embraced an overhaul that would create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers similar to the proposals backed by former President George W. Bush.

In reponse to Bush’s new position, one Romney adviser said to The MiamiHerald:

“Where the hell was this Jeb Bush during the campaign? He spent all this time criticizing Romney and it turns out he has basically the same position. So he wants people to go back to their country and apply for citizenship? Well, that’s self deportation. We got creamed for talking about that. And now Jeb is saying the same thing.”

Unsurprisingly, criticism has also poured onto Twitter:

Jeb Bush: What do you people want now? Make up your mind already, and I am for that.

— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) March 5, 2013

Bush’s argues that his new book creates a policy direction that Republicans can choose to adopt. He told NPR:

“Being against other people’s policies eventually puts you in a downward spiral. It’s fine to be principled and oppose views that you don’t agree with, but you also have to have an alternative. And so Clint and I believe that what we’ve proposed is a good, conservative, economically driven, respect-for-the-rule-of-law set of policies that would work, and it’s something that the Republicans could embrace.”

Bush offers a sharper critique of prior Republican tactics in his book:

“Demanding border security as a prerequisite to broader immigration reform is a good slogan but elusive on details and measurements. What do advocates of such an approach mean by ‘operational control’ of the border? That not a single immigrant will cross illegally? That no illegal drugs will cross the border? That no terrorists will enter our country? What exactly is the magic moment we must wait for before we can fix the broken immigration system?”

The National Journal contends that Bush has hurt a fledgling deal in the Senate and his reputation as a bold policy maker. They, among others, have taken Bush’s book as a sign that he intends to run for president in 2016.

Jeb Bush’s immigration shift will likely be on the minds of many attendees eager to hear the former governor explain himself at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference being held later this month.

Jeb Bush’s Immigration Reversal Upsets Republicans is a post from: The Inquisitr

Immigration reform discussions are reportedly hampered by an issue that both Republicans and Democrats agree upon – mandating the ability to speak English. There are approximately 11 million illegal aliens in America who would be required to learn how to speak English before being granted a green card. The English as a Second Language (ESL) system in the United States is allegedly not up to the task of educating so many folks at once.

The ESL system is allegedly underfunded and “cobbled together with toothpicks and Band-Aids,” Yahoo News reports. Leslie Robbins, the director of a Manhattan ESL course called it “insane” to require illegal immigrants to learn English. She maintains there is not enough funding to handle all of the millions of illegal aliens who need to learn how to speak the language.

Migration Policy Institute expert Margie McHugh concurs with Robbins about the frailness of the ESL system in America. McHugh also claims that approximately 55 percent of illegal aliens would not be able to pass the English proficiency portion of the citizenship test if mandated to take the examination today. Bringing more low-skilled labor into America is good for the economy, according to US News and World Report.

The desire by lawmakers to enforce a stricter English language requirement stems from a desire to foster the ability to succeed economically. Immigrants who can speak English well reportedly earn between 10 and 24 percent more on average than immigrants who do not.

The current ESL system in America is funded at both the state and federal level. Classes are often offered at public libraries, by civic groups, and at community colleges. If the primary reason the English as a Second Language system cannot accommodate the millions of illegal immigrants in America is due to a lack of funding, why not just require the students to pay for the course themselves?

[Image Via: Komar/Shutterstock.com]

Immigration Reform Hampered By Cost Of ESL Classes is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday, February 20 indicated that a majority of US citizens want illegal immigrants deported.

Approximately 53 percent of those surveyed said they were in favor of deportation, Reuters stated, with 30 percent saying they favored doing so “with some exceptions” while 23 percent preferred the action for all immigrants.

Thirty-six percent were opposed, with 31 percent stating they wanted “most” and 5 percent preferring “all” immigrants to stay in-country and be afforded a path to citizenship as President Obama has proposed.

The results highlight the tough fight ahead on immigration reform between a Democratic party that captured an “overwhelming” majority of the Hispanic vote in the 2012 general election and a Republican party that feels compelled to reach out to them, according to Ipsos pollster Julia Clark.

And for Republicans like Florida Senator Marco Rubio, the efforts of President Obama are getting in the way. In a Sunday, February 17, press release, Rubio said the Obama plan would “further undermine the American people’s confidence in Washington’s ability to enforce our immigration laws and reform our broken immigration system.”

However, that doesn’t mean naturalization is dead in the water. In fact, naturalization supporters received a boost of sorts on Wednesday from Arizona Senator John McCain, a Republican, according to CBS.

“There are 11 million people living here illegally. … We are not going to get enough buses to deport them,” McCain told an angry forum, adding that “any path to citizenship must require immigrants to learn English, cover back taxes, and pay fines for breaking immigration laws.”

Do you believe illegal immigrants should face deportation or be provided a pathway to citizenship?

[Image via Juan Camilo Bernal / Shutterstock.com]

Poll: More Than Half Of US Citizens Want Illegal Immigrants Deported is a post from: The Inquisitr

COMMENTARY | Immigration reform has become a hot topic this year. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, President Obama’s State of the Union address contained a speech on immigration reform where he claimed that he’d sign off a bill if it made its way through Congress. But the opposing views fixated on amnesty and enforcing the existing law has caused Congressional gridlock. What if these two opposing viewpoints could be combined into an amicable middle ground solution?

If you look at Mexican law, specifically Mexico’s Ley General de Población (General Law of the Population) you will see the current United States immigration laws are extremely lenient. Illegal immigration in Mexico is a felony. In practice, people caught by the police are beaten, robbed, raped, and sometimes even killed.

Democrats desire that illegal immigrants be given amnesty, with the seeming motivation primarily being to gather a whole new crop of thankful Democratic voters. Many Republicans would rather existing immigration laws be enforced more strictly by Homeland Security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Their solution is usually just to have illegal immigrants be deported and the borders secured. Under Bush, comprehensive immigration reform was attempted by Republicans but many of their own party shut it down. Nowadays evangelical Christians are among the top supporters for a new immigration reform act.

I personally believe there can be a balanced approach that may appease most Republicans. They believe that the laws should be honored and enforced, which is admirable but inflexible in this difficult scenario. A middle ground that pleases both parties might be one where illegal immigrants, who meet certain criteria, are fast-tracked into citizenship with the caveat that their actions are listed as a criminal offense punishable by a high fine instead of jail time.

By this method the crime is acknowledged and there is no amnesty per se. Yet at the same time families are not broken apart and there is a reasonable method by which citizenship could be reached. Existing laws should still be used to deport illegal immigrants who are also active criminals. This pathway to citizenship should be limited to those who have been living here for years in good standing.

Many illegal immigrants do not pay taxes. In addition to the fine for their act of illegally entering the country, any welfare programs that illegal immigrants have benefited from should be paid back in full based upon the rates that all other Americans have contributed. Both of these fines should be subtracted from their annual Federal tax returns instead of being paid up front so that the poor illegal immigrants are not unduly excluded due to finances. The total sum should also be split up over a 10 to 15 years so that paying back these fines do not become an onerous burden that bankrupts families.

I also believe that in addition to the illegal immigration being listed as a criminal offense, citizenship should be revoked based upon future criminal actions of a certain degree. The act of illegal immigration should be categorized in such a way that the offenders have it listed in their permanent records for life, but are not unduly penalized. For example, this criminal record should not be usable, or applicable, when applying for a job, credit, or a mortgage. But at the same time police will be aware of a person’s status as a former illegal immigrant.

What do you think about this potential middle ground for an immigration reform act?

Obama: "Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it right away." pic.twitter.com/zUMDr1TG

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 13, 2013

Immigration Reform Act: Amnesty And Criminal Fines Should Be Combined is a post from: The Inquisitr

Immigrants who heard President Obama’s speech on immigration reform are hoping Congress was listening.

President Barack Obama focused most of his State of the Union address on the country’s economy and gun laws, despite a fierce battle over US immigration reform policy recently.

According to Fox News, President Obama praised lawmakers for working on immigration reform and called on them to send him the bill in the next few months.

Lorenzo Montenegro, 43 is the father of four and works in a midtown Manhattan restaurant where entrees are quite expensive. His culinary specialty, cactus, scored him a job and visa to come to the US shortly before 2000. According to the Huffington Post, Montenegro’s pay is not enough to cover the cost of his eldest daughter’s education at New York’s City College, so she works part-time in the same restaurant. Montenegro said the job is a godsend because she’s had to leave other restaurants over discrimination for her undocumented status.

Sandra Zamora, 30, is a mother of one, working as an ambulance dispatcher. She is the only one of her siblings born in the US, out of five who live in New York. Listening to President Obama’s State of the Union Address, she started to cry. Most of Zamora’s family and closest friends are undocumented.

President Obama’s speech said a path to citizenship includes background checks, paying taxes and learning English, and is a necessity for any kind of immigration reform. Obama was accompanied by applause from lawmakers as he said:

“As we speak, bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligently to draft a bill, and I applaud their efforts. Now let’s get this done. Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it right away and America will be better for it. … Real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting periods and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow our economy.”

What do you think of President Obama’s speech on immigration reform?

Obama: “Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it right away.” twitter.com/BarackObama/st…

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 13, 2013

Immigration Reform: Immigrants Hope Congress Heard President Obama is a post from: The Inquisitr

With Hispanic attendance at their churches rising quickly, many Evangelical Christians are coming out in support of immigration reform, one of the Obama administration’s top priorities.

Though some publications find Christian support for immigration reform surprising, such advocacy is actually fairly in-step with Biblical principles. The Bible is full of stories of “immigrants” like Abraham and Moses, as well as passages like Matthew 25:35: “I was a stranger and you invited me in.”

“The scriptures command us to take care of the immigrant. It’s not just one verse here or there, it’s a repeated command throughout the Biblical text,” said Matt Soerens, a lecturer on immigration from the World Relief organization.

Support for immigration reform among Christian conservatives has grown over time. MSN reports that in 2011, the Southern Baptist Convention called for a “just and compassionate path to legal status” for illegal immigrants along with securing the US/Mexico border. The Southern Baptist Convention boast 16 million members, and is the country’s largest Protestant body.

Additionally, a Public Religion Research Institute poll in 2010 showed that white evangelicals support immigration reform that would allow illegals to become Americans by a margin of 2-1.

“Some of them don’t necessarily see or acknowledge the changing demographics or the electoral merits of passing immigration reform, but I do think that many of these religious leaders could push them in that direction by really referencing the humanitarian interest, or moral argument,” said Republican strategist Ford O’Connell.

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, one of the country’s most prominent Hispanic evangelicals, said that helping illegal immigrants is a Christian duty, reports Reuters.

Evangelical Christians who support immigration reform are being asked to write “I am a Christian, a conservative and I vote. I want you to support immigration reform this year,” to their local congressman.

Are you surprised that Evangelical Christians support immigration reform?

Evangelical Christians Among Immigration Reform’s Top Supporters is a post from: The Inquisitr

In a handful of recent interviews, President Obama talked about his desire to pass immigration reform this year. When asked about the potential deportation of illegal immigrants, the president said that he has to follow the law, reports CNN.

Speaking to Univision and Telemundo, Obama said: “I think this is something we should be able to get done certainly this year, and I’d like to see if we could get it done sooner, in the first half of the year if possible.”

Obama also added that “it’s a matter of Republicans and Democrats coming together and finding a meeting of the minds,” but failed to mention the bipartisan coalition of senators attempting to do just that.

He also said that the administration has “done more on border security in the last four years than we have in the previous 20,” to Univision. “We’ve actually done almost everything that Republicans asked to be done several years ago as a condition to move ahead on comprehensive immigration reform.”

The Washington Post reports that Obama also faced several questions about the potential deportation of illegal immigrants. So would Obama slow deportation while immigration is worked out or offer some kind of amnesty to them?

“I’m not a king. My job as the head of the executive branch ultimately is to carry out the law,” Obama told Telemundo. “When it comes to enforcement of our immigration laws, we’ve got some discretion. We can prioritize what we do. But we can’t simply ignore the law.”

Obama talked a bit more about deportation:

“What we’ve seen is that the people who are being deported, the vast majority of them now are criminals. That did not used to be the case. But there are still obviously gonna be people who get caught up in the system.”

Obama also said that the fight for immigration reform is going to be sticky but said “the one thing I can guarantee is my effort. I can guarantee that I will put everything I’ve got behind it.”

President Obama Wants Immigration Reform This Year, But Adds: ‘I’m Not A King’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Marco Rubio and Rush Limbaugh had a frank but respectful discussion on immigration on Tuesday, one that appeared to show conservative opposition to immigration reform dissolving.

Though Limbaugh had blasted a bipartisan plan announced by Rubio, a Florida Republican, on the show the talk show host seemed to take a step back on this criticism. Limbaugh even said he wasn’t going to be part of a right-wing push to kill the proposal, The Huffington Post noted.

“I didn’t say that. Did you hear me say that? I’m going to call on Fox News and others to join me in defeating this plan? I don’t recall saying that,” Limbaugh said.

When Rubio and Limbaugh discussed the measure, the talk show host showed something more like begrudging acceptance of the immigration reform movement. Limbaugh said:

“I’ll bet you we hear that if we do this, we’ll never have to do it again. We’ve got to do this ’cause it’s out of control. We’ve gotta do this, secure the border, and so forth … I don’t know that there’s any stopping this. It’s up to me and Fox News, and I don’t think Fox News is that invested in this. I don’t think there’s any Republican opposition to this of any majority consequence or size. We’ll have to wait and see and find out.”

In fact, Rubio and Limbaugh seemed to frame the discussion as opposition to President Obama but acceptance of immigration reform itself.

“It’s going to be Barack Obama who undermines this,” Limbaugh said after Rubio had finished the interview. “It’s Barack Obama who’s going to undercut the primary objective that all of these eight senators say is imperative to them, and that is border security first.”

Limbaugh had nothing but good things to say about Marco Rubio.

“Is that guy good or what? That was impressive. He stays on point. He stays on message and he believes it. You can tell that he didn’t need notes, that he didn’t have to consult anything, no prompter. It’s in his heart, and he’s lived it to boot!” Limbaugh said.

“And I’ll say this too: here is a guy who does not fear talk radio. He embraced it. He is not at all intimidated or afraid. He wasn’t afraid of what would be said about him coming on this program. Kudos all around.”

With Rubio and Limbaugh seemingly in agreement on the need for immigration reform and tighter border control, many expect other opposition to the measure to fizzle out.

Rubio And Limbaugh Discuss Immigration As Right-Wing Oppositon To Reform Softens is a post from: The Inquisitr

Key senators are working out the kinks on a bipartisan immigration plan, but President Obama is crafting a proposal all his own, which is said to include reforms for same-sex couples.

Obama will unveil his plan in Las Vegas on Tuesday, but BuzzFeed talked with multiple sources familiar with the plan to get an idea of what it might include. “Same-sex couples will be part of his proposal,” said one Democratic source. A second was quick to note that same-sex couples, in which one is American and the other an illegal immigrant, are not included in the Senate’s bipartisan proposal.

Obama’s proposal does indeed answer a concern of many in the LGBT crowd, namely that heterosexual bi-national couples can move an illegal partner on the path to citizenship through marriage, while same-sex couples many times do not have that option. It’s not always simple, but it is possible to confer citizenship through marriage for heterosexual couples. Same-sex couples say that the option simply doesn’t exist for them.

Democratic Senators working on the bipartisan immigration reform package said that LGBT rights were not included, while Republican Marco Rubio’s press secretary Alex Conant added that: “The issue of same-sex couples and immigration are details that still need to be worked out in Senate.”

The LA Times reports that the Senate’s bipartisan immigration reform package is ambitious, but has already faced opposition on both sides. It remains to be seen what the response to President Obama’s proposal will be, but his frameworks are sometimes regarded as too dramatic or impractical, and are rejected by both parties.

Which immigration reform proposal do you think Americans will respond to more positively? Obama’s, or that of the bipartisan group of senators?

Obama’s Immigration Plan Includes Same-Sex Couples is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ever wondered what a bipartisan solution to immigration looks like? A group of leading senators has laid out a deal which includes sweeping reforms to the issue, borrowing the best ideas from both sides of the debate.

The deal will be unveiled Monday afternoon, but it includes border security, guest workers and employer verification, as well as a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in this country. Details still need to be hammered out, and the deal’s success is far from guaranteed, but the plan amounts to the most significant attempt to reform the nation’s immigration system in decades.

According to The Associated Press, the bipartisan immigration proposal seeks to reach four goals:

• Create a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in-country, reliant on securing the border and keeping better track of people here on visas.
• Reform of the legal immigration system, which includes giving green cards to immigrants who hold advanced degrees in science, math, technology or engineering from an American university.
• Create an effective employment verification system, which would ensure that employers don’t hire illegal immigrants.
• Allow more low-skill workers into the country, and also allow employers to hire immigrants if they can prove that they couldn’t hire a US citizen. This step also includes the establishment of an agricultural worker program.

The eight senators behind the bill are: Democrats Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado; and Republicans John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida and Jeff Flake of Arizona.

“What’s changed, honestly, is that there is a new, I think, appreciation on both sides of the aisle — including maybe more importantly on the Republican side of the aisle — that we have to enact a comprehensive immigration reform bill,” McCain told ABC.

“I think the time is right.”

What do you think of the proposed immigration reforms? Too radical, not radical enough, or just right?

Key Senators Reach Bipartisan Immigration Reform Deal is a post from: The Inquisitr

Whatever happened to Clint Eastwood’s empty chair prop from last year’s Republican National Convention? It’s sitting in RNC Chair Reince Priebus’s office as a source of inspiration, and apparently a trophy from the last election. Before you laugh, remember that it’s about the only thing Republicans got out of 2012.

The chair used as a prop by actor and director Clint Eastwood during his strange speech at the Republican National Convention in 2012 made the long journey from Florida to Washington DC, where it now sits in the office of RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, reports MSN.

Eastwood’s chair is in Priebus’s office because he “gets the joke,” and said that it’s “the first thing he points out” when talking about “how his party must dramatically rethink its strategy and message in hopes of recovering from the presidential drubbing of 2012.”

As far as Republican strategy for the next four years in concerned, Priebus says “I believe that number one, we have to control the debates. I think that having over 20 debates is too many and I think we ought to regulate the debates, pick the moderators and get involved in setting the calendar.”

The RNC Chair also said that the GOP was making good waves on immigration. “I think you are seeing a lot of movement from our party on these issues. A lot of it, I tell you, was tone. You know it wasn’t necessarily the policy on immigration, it was what is coming out of your mouth.”

He’s not totally wrong on that point. President Obama has talked a lot about immigration reform, but he hasn’t done much about it. The Dream Act is hardly his brain-child. It was originally introduced in 2001, and is generally a pet project of Senate Majority Leader Harri Reid. Obama more or less puts his “stamp of approval” on some immigration reform, it just fails to go anywhere. And no, it’s not because Republicans blocked his ideas in Congress (believe it or not, the House actually passed the Dream Act in 2010 before it died in the Senate). It’s because despite all the promises, there are no ideas.

Except maybe one from Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Elected in 2010 for his first US Senate term, Rubio has spent his January laying out his proposal for immigration reform, reports CNN. It includes “permanent residency provision” and a route to citizenship for illegal immigrants in the US, but Rubio stresses it’s not “blanket amnesty.” It’s more like easing undocumented workers into the system.

You can take it or leave it, but it’s the only real idea out there right now. Rubio’s proposal trumps any specific plan from President Obama, but Rubio jokes that he might convince the POTUS to work with him. “Maybe he’s interested in his legacy,” says Rubio. Maybe there’s hope for the GOP after all?

Personally, I think step one to a new Republican Party is to fire Reince Priebus, but that’s another story.

Are you surprised that Reince Priebus keeps Clint Eastwood’s empty chair in his office?

RNC Chairman Keeps Eastwood’s Empty Chair In Office As A Trophy is a post from: The Inquisitr

Steve Jobs’ widow, along with filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, has launched a website in an effort to promote the Dream Act. Advocating immigration reform, the website shares videos in an effort reveal the real faces of immigrants facing deportation.

Millions of children are brought to the US illegally as children. Undocumented status prevents them from becoming productive members of our society and they live under constant fear of deportation.

As reported by Yahoo News, the Dream Act would offer them legal protection. The law would apply to those who entered the country illegally when they were under the age of 15. The undocumented immigrants, if under the age of 30, could apply for legal status. Applicants would be required to either attend college for two years or serve in the military. Anyone with a criminal record would be excluded.

The Dream Act was turned down by the House in 2010, when it failed by five votes. In June of last year, President Obama directed his administration to halt the deportation of undocumented immigrants who were in the military or possessed a high school diploma. In a program he call “deferred action,” he further limits the protection to those who entered the country under the age of 16. The program allows work permits that can be renewed every two years.

The website created by Jobs’ widow promotes the Dream Act and encourages President Obama and members of Congress to make immigration reform a priority. The website refers to the “deferred action” currently in place as a “temporary fix.” As stated on The Dream is Now, for some of the children, the US is the only home they have ever known:

“There are an estimated one to two million undocumented young people living in America who were brought here as children. These young people have grown up here, attended our schools and learned to speak English just like their classmates. The U.S. is the only country they’ve ever known. Current law provides no path for them to remain in the country lawfully.”

The website provides a forum where undocumented immigrants, brought to the country as children, can share their stories. The submitted videos are like filmed confessionals, some of which are heartbreaking.

Although immigration has been a point of contention between Republicans and Democrats, the Dream Act is largely supported by both parties.

Steve Jobs’ Widow Promoting Dream Act, Immigration Reform [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Illinois State Senate voted to allow temporary drivers licenses to illegal immigrants on Tuesday. The bill was sent to the house for review. If the bill becomes law, Illinois will be the most populous state in America to allow drivers licenses for people who are in the country illegally, according to Reuters.

The proposed legislation would allow illegal residents to get tested for a drivers license and buy insurance without fear of deportation. The state issued card would allegedly not be permitted to be used as a form of voter identification or for boarding a plane. Supporters of the bill claim the new law would save money and enhance safety, according to CBS Chicago. Opponents of the bill are reportedly urging the federal government to address the matter of comprehensive immigration reform.

Currently both New Mexico and Washington state allow illegal aliens to have drivers licenses. Utah offers driving permits to illegal immigrants. According to the 2010 Census, Illinois has approximately two million Hispanic residents. State officials estimate that there are currently 250,000 illegal residents calling Illinois home.

The bill to grant drivers licenses to illegal residents passed the Illinois Senate by a vote of 41 to 14. Democratic Governor Pat Quinn has not yet publicly offered his position on the pending legislation. Republican leaders reportedly offered their support for the bill, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Hispanic vote in Illinois went overwhelmingly Democratic in the last election.

Should a person who committed a crime by entering America illegally be allowed to obtain a drivers license?

Illinois State Senate Approves Drivers Licenses For Illegal Immigrants is a post from: The Inquisitr

Democratic heavy weights from both houses of Congress presented a plan with nine principles to guide the nation through “comprehensive” immigration reform. The politicians claimed that such a plan would contribute to the economic recovery, according to Fox News Latino.

Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus held a press conference at the Capitol to unveil the immigration reform plan. The lawmakers insisted that changing the way immigration is handled in the United States could not be postponed any longer. The 113th Congress is the best time to bring illegal aliens “out of the shadows,” according to statements made during the revealing of the nine principles.

Democratic New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez believes that overhauling America’s immigration laws would enhance the country’s gross domestic product by approximately $1.5 trillion over the course of the next decade.

Illinois Democratic Representative Luis Gutierrez had this to about the nine principles plan:

“We can, and should, make history in this session of Congress by passing comprehensive immigration reform.”

The plan announced on Wednesday evening requests the registration of an estimated 11 million illegal aliens. The Democratic plan also seeks to prevent the separation of illegal immigrant families and asks for the legalization of illegal alien students. Visas for agricultural guest workers are also a part of the immigration reform plan. The plan also calls for bi-national separation protection for same-sex couples, according to the Huffington Post.

Illegal immigrants would have to submit to fingerprinting, learn English, and pay taxes. Those with criminal records would be “subject” to deportation. When asked why the group chose to put forth a plan instead of initiating a bill on the matter, they stated they wanted to engage in a “good faith” bipartisan process to initiate debate about immigration reform.

Immigration Reform: Nine Principles Plan Introduced By Democrats is a post from: The Inquisitr

Commentary — As we reported earlier, Sean Hannity — Fox News host and right-wing radio maven — has, two days off what is one of the most stunning political defeats of the past few decades, had a change of heart about immigration reform.

Sean Hannity has been leading the charge on blaming “illegals” for many of America’s ills, so the move he made to embrace a softer stance on the issue of immigration just days after Mitt Romney lost his bid for the White House has been viewed a bit cynically by some who feel the change is an attempt to pander to Latino voters.

And pandering might be a good idea right now. Hannity’s party of choice lost around seven out of 10 votes to incumbent candidate President Barack Obama among Hispanic voters.

Hannity himself expressed disdain just months prior to that happenstance for those who would defend immigrants in America, responding to criticism of his use of the word some consider pejorative — “illegals” — by digging in his heels and saying back in May:

“I’m not stopping it … Illegal immigrant! Illegal!”

Hannity is one of several conservatives who just days before the election had been bleating about the danger of “illegals” in America and now seems to be seeking to perhaps sway legal, voting immigrants over to the platform that has been alienating them for so long.

And while just a few months back Sean Hannity didn’t care if human beings didn’t like being called “illegal,” in the past two days he suddenly realize they are people after all. Nice, very pretty people with the ability to pull a voting lever — he gushes:

” … that is a position that I’ve evolved on. Because you know what—it just—it’s gotta be resolved. The majority of people here—if some people have criminal records you can send ‘em home—but if people are here, law-abiding, participating, four years, their kids are born here … first secure the border, pathway to citizenship … then it’s done. But you can’t let the problem continue. It’s gotta stop.”

Below is a clip of Hannity discussing immigration, “illegals” and terrorists on his show back in 2010. In the clip, he claims there are “millions” of people who “drain” our hospitals, education systems and other services simply by being here, and advocates arresting people simply for being Latino in the US.

Do you think Sean Hannity’s flip-flop is genuine, or an attempt to pad the vote for the GOP in 2016?

Sean Hannity’s Stunning Reversal On Immigration, Could It Be To Woo Latino Voters? [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Immigration reform has been a sticking point for the Republican Party, as the hardline views often demanded of leaders by GOP faithful has come into conflict with a general sentiment toward greater reform.

Now, in the wake of the drubbing many Republicans faced in the 2012 election, several high-profile GOP leaders are changing course on immigration reform. Barack Obama was pushed to re-election with the help of more than 70 percent of Latino voters, and Republicans are taking notice, Yahoo! News reported.

House Speaker John Boehner noted that Republicans are ready to work on immigration reform. Speaking to ABC News‘ Diane Sawyer, Boehner said the time has come to solve the nation’s illegal immigration problem.

“This issue has been around far too long,” Boehner said. “A comprehensive approach is long overdue, and I’m confident that the president, myself, others can find the common ground to take care of this issue once and for all.”

One of the most influential voices to chance course in favor of immigration reform came from Fox News and radio host Sean Hannity.

As The Huffington Post noted, Hannity said his views on immigration reform have “evolved”:

“We’ve gotta get rid of the immigration issue altogether. It’s simple for me to fix it. I think you control the border first, you create a pathway for those people that are here, you don’t say you gotta go home. And that is a position that I’ve evolved on. Because you know what—it just—it’s gotta be resolved. The majority of people here—if some people have criminal records you can send ‘em home—but if people are here, law-abiding, participating, four years, their kids are born here … first secure the border, pathway to citizenship … then it’s done. But you can’t let the problem continue. It’s gotta stop.”

The stance is an about-face for Hannity, who opposed immigration reform in the past. It is also marks a change for Boehner, who had been against immigration reform and just two years ago proposed ending birthright citizenship to discourage illegal immigration.

Immigration Reform: Many High-Profile Republicans Changing Course is a post from: The Inquisitr

The DREAM Act begins in earnest this week as one of the most sweeping changes in immigration policy in decades took effect Wednesday.

The act will allow close to 1.7 million young immigrants apply for the temporary right to live and work in the US without the risk of deportation, the Washington Post reported. The DREAM Act begins a new era of citizenship opportunities for this group, which has waited for years for Congress to formally pass it.

The issue has become a focal point for Democrats, especially those trying to appeal to Latino voters, the Associated Press reported.

The DREAM Act focuses on immigrants who were brought to the United States by their parents as children, and, though technically living here illegally, they never chose to break any laws. Immigration advocacy groups were surprised earlier this week when officials posted applications forms online for the first immigrants to begin the path to citizenship.

As the DREAM Act begins, these groups are now planning workshops to help hundreds of immigrants learn if they qualify and how to apply, the Washington Post reported. Families are now scrambling to gather the necessary school records and utility bills to begin the process.

“People are very, very anxious to file, so we’ve been telling them to over-prepare,” said Emid Gonzalez, manager of legal services at Casa de Maryland, which put on a workshop this week for immigrants. “The phone has been ringing off the hook.”

The DREAM Act begins with a focus on immigrants age 15 to 31 who came to the country before they were 16 and have lived in the US continuously for at least the last five years. They must also be free of serious criminal convictions and have graduated high school or be enrolled or have served in the US military.

Photo by Dreamer movement (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

DREAM Act Begins With Some Pieces Taking Effect This Week is a post from: The Inquisitr

President Barack Obama contributed an op-ed to Time in which he explains his decision to no longer deport illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. In it, the President argues that the naturalization of some 800,000 immigrants is the right thing to do for our economy, our national security, and that “above all, it is the right thing to do, period.”

In the opinion piece, the President defends his decision to issue an executive order to make some 800,000 illegals naturalized U.S. citizens, a decision that has received a fair amount of controversy and support. “They are Americans in their hearts and minds, in every single way but one: on paper,” writes the President. “They were brought to this country by their parents, sometimes even as infants, and often have no idea that they’re undocumented until they apply for a job or a driver’s license, or a college scholarship.”

“It makes no sense to expel talented young people, who, for all intents and purposes, are Americans. They’ve been raised as Americans and know this nation as their own. To expel these young people who want to staff our labs, or start new businesses, or defend our country simply because of the actions of their parents or because of the inaction of politicians makes no sense,” said the President.

In the piece, President Obama stresses that his executive order isn’t unilateral amnesty, political immunity, or even a path to citizenship. It’s a temporary measure until Congress passes the DREAM Act. “It got 55 votes in the Senate, but Republicans blocked it. The bill hasn’t really changed since Republicans co-wrote it. The need hasn’t changed,” said the President, adding, “The only thing that has changed, apparently, is the politics.”

Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon thanked President Obama for his “unprecedented” decision, calling the executive order, “very just,” and thanking the President for “the valor and courage that you had in implementing this action.”

President Obama’s full op-ed can be found here. What do you think? Does the President make a compelling argument?

President Obama’s Op-Ed Defends Immigration Decision: “It Is The Right Thing To Do, Period” is a post from: The Inquisitr

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is at it again. Today his office arrested a 6-year-old girl they had reason to believe may have been in the country illegally. Arpaio, who calls himself “America’s Toughest Sheriff” has a history of using the power of his office to further his political goals. He recently conducted an ongoing investigation into whether President Obama’s birth certificate is authentic. He found that the evidence points to the conclusion that President Obama and the State of Hawaii forged the document.

The Arizona Republic is reporting that according to Arpaio’s office the girl was rounded up with 15 other Hispanics who were suspected of being in the country illegally. The 16 people were supposedly headed to the northeast United States when they were apprehended.

Chris Hegstrom, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office said,

“She’s been turned over to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to try to determine where she’s from. She told us she’s from El Salvador. That’s what she told us,”

According to the Sheriff’s office the suspects paid between $300 and $4,000 to a group who could get them over the border and transported to their desired destination within the United States.

Ironically, the arrests were made on Friday night, the same day that President Obama outlined his Administration’s policy of not arresting undocumented minors under certain circumstances. This year the President is up for reelection and Hispanics make up a huge voting bloc that the President doesn’t want to lose.

Arpaio recently said in an interview,

“I think people from Mexico are now going to feel, ‘Hey come on in and we’ll get by with it.’ But it won’t happen in this county. They will still be arrested.”

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio Arrests 6 Year Old Boy is a post from: The Inquisitr

Santiago and Rosa Carrasco have pleaded guilty to faking Santiago’s death in 2004 in order to claim more than $400,000 in death benefits.

Huffington Post reports that Matt Lockhart, a prosecutor for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office told them that:

“They were a suburban family living their lives. But then they come up with this wacky plan out of fear of losing what they’d worked for.”

The couple was worried about losing social security benefits, because Santiago was living in the U.S. illegally, under the stolen identity of Lucio Rodriguez. The real Lucio is actually Carrasco’s uncle, and is a living U.S. citizen.

Santiago, 52, and Rosa, 54, planned their scheme in 2001, following the September 11th terrorist attacks, because the U.S. had begun to crack down on illegal immigrants.

The Orange County Register reports that in 2004, Santiago traveled to Mexico to obtain a fake death certificate for “Lucio Rodriguez.” After this, Santiago and Rosa Carrasco began receiving social security benefits for the “deceased” Lucio.

According to Huffington Post, the couple’s scheme seemed to go well for seven years, as Santiago began living under his real name. However, their carefully laid out plan was not to be. In 2011, a letter was sent to the US Department of Justice from an anonymous source, which layed out the O.C. couple’s crime.

Lockhart told the publication that Santiago and Rosa were arrested in August of 2011 by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The couple was living separately at the time, with Santiago living in Fontana, while Rosa lived with the couple’s two daughters in Santa Ana.

Upon his arrest, Santiago even claimed that he had not been receiving the death benefits for years, because he and Rosa were separated. Despite this claim, both parties were still charged with two felony counts of grand theft. According to the Orange County Register, the couple was sentenced to two years in custody and two years of mandatory supervision upon release. Santiago and Rosa Carrasco were also ordered to jointly pay back the $413,000 plus an additional 10% of the sum in interest.

Santiago And Rosa Carrasco Plead Guilty To Faking Husband’s Death For Benefits is a post from: The Inquisitr

Cartagena, Colombia – President Obama reached out to Hispanics in a way he hasn’t done since the first campaign. He has told American Hispanics that if they help reelect him he will tackle immigration reform in the first year of his second term.

The President told Univision,

“This is something I care deeply about. It’s personal to me.”

Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was quick to point out that during his first campaign, Candidate Obama said he was going to tackle immigration reform the first year he was in office also.

Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul told reporters,

“President Obama only talks about immigration reform when he’s seeking votes. Then-candidate Obama promised to tackle immigration reform in his first year. More than three years into his term, America is still waiting for his immigration plan.”

Obama also told Univision that he would need to get any of his plans past a Republican Congress which was openly hostile to immigration reform. He also went specifically after Romney saying that Romney supports policies that could require Hispanics to carry citizenship papers with them at all time to prove they are not illegals.

Obama said of the Republican Congress,

“So what we need is a change either of Congress or we need Republicans to change their mind, and I think this has to be an important debate during – throughout the country,”

Hispanics are growing in both size and importance in American politics. President Obama won a large majority of the Hispanic vote in the 2008 election and his campaign needs Hispanics to turn out in big numbers again for the President to win reelection.

Obama Makes Promises To Hispanics is a post from: The Inquisitr