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By Lou Cannon, State Net Capitol Journal | Published on 02.16.2015 12:00 p.m.

With national immigration reform stymied by partisan division, several states have extended privileges associated with U.S. citizenship to millions of unauthorized immigrants. At the same time, states are leading the legal charge against President Barack Obamas executive orders protecting up to 5 million immigrants from deportation.

California is in the forefront of states accommodating unauthorized immigrants. Hundreds of thousands of them flocked to 150 Department of Motor Vehicleoffices and four special processing centers last month as the Golden State rolled out a law allowing anyone 18 and over to obtain a drivers license after passing road-knowledge and driving tests.

Two of three individualswho took the written test in a language other than English failed to pass on the first try. Even so, the DMV licensed 40,000 new drivers in January and is on track to reach a three-year goal of 1.4 million new licenses.

The new law has been largely welcomed by law-enforcement officers as a safety issue. Julie Powell, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol, said that requiring unauthorized immigrants already on the road to pass a driving test and obtain insurance will bolster public safety.

Californias liberalized policy on drivers licenses is the latest in a series of laws that have eased the lives of unauthorized immigrants, called undocumented by their advocates and illegal by their detractors. California is home to nearly a fourth of all such immigrants in the United States 2.8 million out of 11.6 million, according to Pew Research figures.

In 2014, California enacted 26 laws on immigration, many removing long-existing barriers. Unauthorized immigrants in California can now receive subsidized health care, student loans and financial aid, and licenses to practice law and medicine. Child welfare courts no longer make immigration status a determinant of guardianship.

These laws reflect the liberal political leanings of a state where Democrats hold every statewide office and control the Legislature.More fundamentally, they reflect a sea change in public perceptions of Latin American and Asian immigrants, not long ago regarded as a drain on the state.

In 1994, California voters approved a ballot initiative intended to deny educational and medical benefits to unauthorized immigrants. Courts found most of this initiative unconstitutional but vestiges remained on the books until 2014, when they were repealed at the behest of Latino legislators.

A recent survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found that Californians are more likely to say that immigrants are a benefit to California because of their hard work and job skills (63 percent) than to say that immigrants are a burden to the state because they use public services (32 percent).

Originally posted here:
Lou Cannon: In Paradox, States Play Conflicted Role in National Immigration Debate

Everyone wants to know whetherJeb Bush can survive his support for Common Core and comprehensive immigration reform in today's Republican Party.

One deal-breaker that might surprise people, though: His opposition to gay marriage.

NBC News and Marist Collegeare out witha batch ofnew 2016 primary polls. And as you might expect,Common Core,immigration reform, belief in man-made climate change and support for raising taxes on the wealthy are among those with the potential to alienate lotsof conservatives.

But according to the polls, so does opposition to gay marriage -- an issue on whichBush agrees with basically every other candidate.

The polls, in fact, show that about half of likely GOP caucus and primary voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina said they find opposition to gay marriage either "mostly" or "totally" unacceptable in a candidate. Fifty-two percent of likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire and South Carolina said opposing gay marriage is either mostly or totally unacceptable, while 47 percent of likely Iowa caucus voters agree.

By comparison, 63 percent of Iowa voters say belief in man-made climate change (and fighting it) is unacceptable, 56 percent of New Hampshire voters say raising taxes on the wealthy is a non-starter, and 52 percent of South Carolina voters say support for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship is a deal-breakeron one level or another.

Voters in all three states find a candidate who supports gay marriage to be about as amenable as one who doesn't toe the party line on any of these issues.

And while the numbers are surprising, they make some sense. A Pew poll conducted in March 2014 showed 39 percent of Republicans and Republican leaners supported gay marriage. Add the passage of time andthe fact that non-Republicans can vote in New Hampshire and South Carolina, and you've got a potentially less anti-gay marriage electorate come next year.

There's also the possibility that the poll question confused some people. Asking people about gay marriage opposition rather than support for it brings double-negatives into the picture, possibly confusing some poll respondents. And people are more apt to respond in the negative when in doubt.

But it's also pretty clear from this and other polls that there are a growing number of Republicans who support gay marriage. So does it allmean we'll see a GOP presidential candidate in 2016 come out in support of gay marriage? Probably not. While there are some supporters of immigration reform (see: Bush and Marco Rubio) and Common Core (Bush) in the group, the name of the game is alienating as few people as possible.

Continue reading here:
The Fix: The most surprising gay marriage poll weve seen in a while

Scott Walker: Immigration Reform Doesnt Mean Amnesty
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Scott Walker: Immigration Reform Doesnt Mean Amnesty - Video

Radio Show, 2015, February 6, #immigration reform
Discussing Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Border Security and other related issues (visa, I-94, International travel, H-1B transfer, premium processing, E...

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Radio Show, 2015, February 6, #immigration reform - Video

Congressional Republicans criticized policies this week that could allow millions of immigrants granted Social Security numbers through President Barack Obamas executive actions to receive as much as four years of tax credits from the Internal Revenue Service. Critics of Obamas program are attempting to pass a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, which polices immigration, ahead of a Feb. 27 shutdown deadline that would reverse the president's program, according to the Associated Press.

"I represent hard-working, law-biding Texans," said Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee. "I think these amnesty rewards, and that's what they are, need to be stopped."

Obama took executive action in November to protect millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. Immigrants who have since received Social Security numbers can now apply for tax credits worth up to $24,000, depending on the size of their families.

Defenders of the program argue many illegal immigrants pay taxes and should be eligible for the same benefits as anyone else who pays taxes. Illegal immigrants paid an estimated $100 billion into Social Security in the last 10 years, chief actuary Stephen Goss estimated. Illegal immigrants who pay taxes still arent eligible for many federal programs, such as food stamps or federal student loans.

Workers cannot legally work in the United States without a Social Security number. With Social Security numbers received through Obamas executive action, immigrants who once faced deportation can now be eligible to receive Social Security benefits after 10 years of paying taxes.

The immigrants are immediately eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit as long as they can provide proof of earnings and meet income requirements. Applicants can retroactively seek credits from income dating back to 2011, at a maximum rate of $6,000 per year for families with three or more children.

"The administration may have blown open the doors for fraud with amnesty bonuses of more than $24,000 to those who receive deferred action," Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., told the AP. "This program severely undermines the White House's lip-service to enforcing the law and would increase the burden on law-abiding taxpayers."

GOP lawmakers in Kansas and Ohio warned earlier this monthObamas executive action could lead to an increase in illegally registered voters, as states lack the capacity to verify eligibility. Top Republican leaders have criticized Obamas measures as an abuse of power.

House Republicans have thrice passed bills that would fund the DHS while repealing Obamas executive actions, only to see all three bills fail in the Senate. The DHS will face a shutdown if legislators do not pass a funding bill by Feb. 27.

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Immigration Reform 2015: Republicans Oppose Tax Credits ...