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More than two months after taking the reins of one of the nation's most immigrant-friendly states, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner has offered mixed signals about his stance on immigration.

He's publicly backed "comprehensive reform" and tells stories of his Swedish dairyman grandfather's immigration, but he rescinded executive orders aimed at making the state more welcoming to immigrants. He refused to join other GOP governors in a lawsuit against President Barack Obama's immigration executive action, but he proposed slashing roughly $8 million in services to help refugees and immigrants who want citizenship.

The contrasting views have left many immigration reform advocates in Illinois, including a leading Democratic congressman and a growing voting bloc, waiting for clarity.

"Like much of Gov. Rauner's agenda, it's a big question mark," said Lawrence Benito, executive director of Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

Rauner says he's "pro-immigration." He told a group of Latino business leaders in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood Friday that he'll be pushing Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year. He didn't detail what he thinks that legislation should include, but he said the U.S. should "help those folks who are here to become citizens." He didn't discuss his plans for the state.

And at an Illinois Business Immigration Coalition event earlier this month with Republicans, he talked about lessons gleaned from his grandparents' struggles and his choice of Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti, born in Florida to Cuban and Ecuadorean immigrants.

"I think we have it backward in America. I think we make legal immigration almost impossible and we make illegal immigration relatively easy. I think we've got to flip that around," he told reporters the following day near Springfield.

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Chicago -- known nationally for being an immigration activist and sponsoring immigration legislation -- said he wants to work with Rauner. Rauner spokesman Lance Trover said a meeting is planned for April.

"It's a mistake to not continue the very clear trajectory that Illinois has taken on immigration," Gutierrez said.

Rauner's lack of specificity on the issue has been particularly noticeable in Illinois, where foreign-born individuals make up roughly 14 percent of the population. Connected activists rallied nearly a half-million people to march Chicago in 2006. Illinois has since established a private scholarship fund for immigrant students living in the U.S. without legal permission, and in 2013 it began offering driver's licenses to immigrants living here illegally.

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Rauner's immigration message leaves advocates perplexed

Silicon Valley Democrats Pursuing High-Skill Immigration Reform
Republicans along with many progressive groups oppose the reform, arguing that it #39;s a front for keeping wages low in the Information Technology sector by bringing in cheap labor from abroad.

By: TheRealNews

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Silicon Valley Democrats Pursuing High-Skill Immigration Reform - Video

Obama Immigration Reform.
Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) Who is eligible for the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program?...

By: The Law Offices Of Wana Saadzoi, Esq. LLC

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Obama Immigration Reform. - Video

U.S. Rep. Tony Crdenas, D-Calif., and Rep. Luis Gutirrez. D-Ill., will host a forum this weekend to discuss President Barack Obama's immigration executive actions despite the temporary injunction blocking the deferred action programs' implementation.

The workshop, emanating from Crdenas' San Fernando Valley district in California, is expected to notify immigrants and families if they are eligible for the imminent immigration policy changes created by Obama. Specifically, the undocumented immigrants attending the forum will have the opportunity to understand the requirements for the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) programs, which were announced by Obama last Nov. 20.

Obama's executive actions could temporarily defer deportation for nearly 4.9 million undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S., specifically before Jan. 1, 2010, and pending a criminal background check and payment of fines and taxes. Obama's executive action expanded DACA for applicants to receive a renewable three-year stay instead of two years. Parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who have been in the country since Jan. 1, 2010, can request deferred action and employment authorization for three years as part of the DAPA program.

"Thanks to President Obama, millions of the people who work so hard as we rebuild this nation's economy will have a chance to stay and continue to do exactly that," said Crdenas in a statement. "It is important that everyone who wants to stay here understands exactly what will be required of them. I am so pleased that my colleague, Luis Gutirrez, will be helping me with this timely and important task."

Must Read: Study: Trillion Dollar GDP Loss If All Undocumented Immigrants Removed from U.S.

Gutirrez has been on a national tour promoting Obama's immigration executive actions. During a previous tour stop in New Jersey, Gutirrez said the immigration debate "is the civil rights movement of our time." He said in January, "This is our Selma and we will walk, we will march, we will be arrested, we will do anything and everything it takes to make sure families are protected in this nation."

An ongoing lawsuit, however, has temporarily blocked DAPA and the extended DACA program from going into effect. Twenty-six U.S. states, led by Texas, have sued to block DACA and DAPA. U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen of the Southern District Of Texas' Brownsville Division ruled in favor of the 26 states pending further hearings with the U.S. Department of Justice. On March 12, the Obama administration has filed an appeal to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to lift the temporary injunction, but the appeals court denied the administration's request for an immediate lift of the ban. A hearing is scheduled about the immigration executive action lawsuit in Texas on Thursday.

Despite the lawsuit, Crdenas and Gutirrez noted they are confident the court will rule in Obama's favor and future applicants should still use the time to prepare their documents once the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency launch the programs.

The Crdenas and Gutirrez immigration forum is scheduled for March 21 from Panorama High School in Panorama City, California.

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Immigration Reform News 2015: Congressional Lawmakers to ...

By Maria Cervantes and Greg Smith

Special to the Mercury News

Immigration is about families -- children and parents, workers and worshipers, neighbors and friends.

The PACT: People Acting in Community Together immigration team feels like family. We work together for immigration reform, and over the years we have developed strong bonds.

This debate is often centered on economics and politics, but the consequences of this broken system fall on families. Immigration reform is good for the economy. According to the North American Integration and Development Center, Administrative Relief -- President Obama's executive action -- will bring in new federal tax revenue of over $2.6 billion in two years, not counting what will go to individual states. It will increase the GDP, decrease the federal deficit and increase average wages.

The two of us represent different perspectives on immigration: one, a mother eligible for Administrative Relief and the other, an African-American engineer born in the United States. Our stories may seem different, but our conclusion is the same: People need a pathway to citizenship so families can live with dignity.

Last week, San Jose City Council joined the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors in filing an amicus brief to support the executive orders, underscoring how important this is to us locally. We're proud of Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren's defense of the president's action because, although it's not permanent protection, it is relief families deserve.

I am Maria, a mother of four who has lived in San Jose for 13 years. Nothing is more important to me than family.

I came to the United States as a young mother because where I lived in Mexico was so very dangerous that I could not see a future for my children. My husband, the oldest of his siblings, is the only one who did not get documents when his father immigrated. If I could have immigrated formally I would have done so, but no opportunity existed. Instead, we work hard, contribute through taxes and in our community and take no government benefits.

I am proud to see my children thriving. The two oldest are in college, benefiting from the Dream Act, and the younger ones, who were born here, are working toward that goal. I teach religious classes in my church, volunteer in my children's schools and work part time. My husband has worked for the same construction company since we've lived in San Jose. I am among the 118,000 people in Santa Clara County without documents or certainty of our future.

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Immigration reform: What hurts one, hurts us all - San ...