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Berlin (dpa) - Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that she wants to examine plans for a sweeping reform of Germanys immigration laws proposed by one of her coalition partners while rejecting talk of a split in her government on the issue.

"I have to first form an opinion," she said about the Social Democratic Partys (SPDs) call to introduce a points system for those seeking to immigrate to Europes biggest economy. "Now lets see what we can do in relation to immigration."

The immigration reform plan "is not part of our coalition agreement, so this means there is no dispute," the chancellor said.

But she acknowledged the problems caused by the increasing number of refugees arriving in Germany, especially for regional governments, saying the issue was high on Berlins agenda.

Thomas Oppermann, who leads the SPD in the lower house of parliament, prepared a paper on a new immigration law similar to Canadas points-based system to attract hundreds of thousands of skilled workers to Germany.

Oppermann said Germany needs 300,000 to 400,000 skilled immigrants each year.

"This points system is not necessary to attract workers to Germany," said Michael Grosse-Broemer, the politician in Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU) responsible for relations between the coalition partners.

"We dont need a new law," Grosse-Broemer said. "We have a good immigration law. ... We could, however, reform the existing one."

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, also of the CDU, said Tuesday that there was no need for a new law.

Immigration has re-emerged as an issue in Germany after a recent push for measures to control a migrant influx that has been spearheaded by two populist, right-wing groups: the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the anti-Islamist movement Pegida.

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1ST LEAD Merkel to examine immigration reform, denies coalition row By dpa correspondents

Fresh off a strong second-place showing in theentirely meaningless straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walkercertainly seems to be getting in line with conservative thinking on the topics of the day:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a presumptive 2016 Republican presidential candidate, says he has changed his immigration stance and no longer backs comprehensive reform that would allow illegal immigrants to be penalized but remain in the country.

My view has changed, Walker said in a Fox News Sunday interview taped Friday. Im flat out saying it.

Walker in 2013 said a plan in which illegal immigrants can become United States citizens by first paying penalties and enduring a waiting period makes sense.

However, he is now saying such a plan is tantamount to amnesty, amid criticism that he has flip-flopped on that issue and others including right-to-work legislation in his home state.

I dont believe in amnesty, said Walker, who finished second Saturday in the Conservative Political Action Conferences straw poll for potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates. We need to secure the border. We ultimately need to put in place a system that works a legal immigration system that works.

Walker also is among the 25 Republican governors who have joined in a lawsuit challenging the presidents 2014 executive action that defers deportation for millions of illegal immigrants.

This contrasts significantly withcomments that Walker made during a July 2013 interviewwith a local Wisconsin newspapers editorial board, as well as duringa Politico-sponsored conference in February of that year:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Friday that he supports a pathway to citizenship to illegal immigrants but said that people who are waiting in line should have first preference.

Youve got to find a way to say that people who are in line right now have first preference, the Republican governor said at POLITICOs third annual State Solutions Conference in Washington.

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Scott Walker flip-flops on immigration reform: Is that bad? (+video)

As Florida lawmakers made a last-minute fundraising push on Monday, a group of activists gathered outside the Governor's Club to support immigration reform.

The group, known as the Young American Dreamers, wants Florida to withdraw from a legal challenge toPresident Barack Obama's executive action on immigration.

"Somebody has to speak out and let [Gov.] Rick Scott and [Attorney General]Pam Bondiknow that when they filed the [legal challenge], it wasn't on behalf of Florida, it was on behalf of their own agenda," Executive Director Daniel Barajas said."Most Floridians support some kind of immigration reform."

The protesters included 15-year-old Alvaro Lara, of Winter Haven, a U.S. citizen who fears his Mexican-born father will one day be deported.

Alvaro traveled 5 hours and 40 minutes to participate in the protest.

"I've had lots of friends whose families have been broken apart," he said. "Humans are humans. We shouldn't be treated different because of where we were born."

Fourteen other Central Florida residents held signs and an American flag outside the Governor's Club.

There were at least two fundraisers taking place inside. One event sought to raise money for 11 Republican candidates for the Florida Senate. There was also a fundraiser for the Senate Democratsin the third-floor library.

Lawmakers cannot collect checks once the 60-day legislative session begins. The 2015 session kicks off Tuesday.

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Pro-immigration activists protest outside fundraisers

Fresh off a strong second-place showing in theentirely meaningless straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walkercertainly seems to be getting in line with conservative thinking on the topics of the day:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a presumptive 2016 Republican presidential candidate, says he has changed his immigration stance and no longer backs comprehensive reform that would allow illegal immigrants to be penalized but remain in the country.

My view has changed, Walker said in a Fox News Sunday interview taped Friday. Im flat out saying it.

Walker in 2013 said a plan in which illegal immigrants can become United States citizens by first paying penalties and enduring a waiting period makes sense.

However, he is now saying such a plan is tantamount to amnesty, amid criticism that he has flip-flopped on that issue and others including right-to-work legislation in his home state.

I dont believe in amnesty, said Walker, who finished second Saturday in the Conservative Political Action Conferences straw poll for potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates. We need to secure the border. We ultimately need to put in place a system that works a legal immigration system that works.

Walker also is among the 25 Republican governors who have joined in a lawsuit challenging the presidents 2014 executive action that defers deportation for millions of illegal immigrants.

This contrasts significantly withcomments that Walker made during a July 2013 interviewwith a local Wisconsin newspapers editorial board, as well as duringa Politico-sponsored conference in February of that year:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Friday that he supports a pathway to citizenship to illegal immigrants but said that people who are waiting in line should have first preference.

Youve got to find a way to say that people who are in line right now have first preference, the Republican governor said at POLITICOs third annual State Solutions Conference in Washington.

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Scott Walker flip-flops on immigration reform: Is that bad?

"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace grilled Gov. Scott Walker on the governor's change in positions on immigration reform.

Walker said that he indeed has flipped his position and now does not support amnesty for 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the United States.

In the interview broadcast Sunday, Walker is shown in a 2013 interview with the Wausau Daily Herald saying that a path to citizenship "makes sense."

His response now is that President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration forged Walker's new belief.

"I don't believe in amnesty, and part of the reason why I've made that a firm position is I look at the way that this president has handled that issue," Walker told Wallace. "I was one of the first governors that joined the lawsuit that has been successful at least on this initial technicality, and I hope we prevail ultimately throughout the courts.

"And then going forward, I think the way you enforce it is not through amnesty. I think the better approach is to enforce the laws and to give employers, job creators, the tools like E-Verify and other things, to make sure the law is being upheld going forward."

That led to this exchange between Wallace and Walker:

Wallace: "The question was, can you envision a world where if these people paid a penalty, that they would have a path to citizenship, and you said, sure that makes sense."

Walker: "I believe there's a way that you can do that. First and foremost, you've got to secure that border or none of these plans make any sense."

Wallace: "But it's a little bit slippery here. Back when you were the Milwaukee County Executive, you actually supported the Kennedy-McCain comprehensive immigration plan. Are you basically saying that as part of a comprehensive plan tough enforcement, E-Verify the 11 million people already here pay penalty, they get citizenship?"

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Scott Walker on amnesty as part of immigration reform: 'My view has changed'