Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whose name is also being touted as a 2016 presidential contender, has addressed the need for "comprehensive" immigration reform in an op-ed that appeared in Friday's Wall Street Journal.

Bush co-authored the piece with Goldwater Institute attorney Clint Bolick as part of a preview for their upcoming book, Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution.  The duo's approach to immigration reform will most certainly run afoul to some conservative leaders who for years have fought any approach to immigration reform short of deporting the estimated 12 million illegal men, women and children in the U.S., and building 30-foot, electrified walls to prohibit border crossings.

First on their list is getting Congress to admit that immigration is not as much a law enforcement issue as it is a result of antiquated and outdated laws. "The nation has changed dramatically since the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, and that legislation has not held up well," write Bush and Bolick. "It has been patched over so many times that it is hopelessly complex and incoherent. We need to start from scratch." more >>

Former Pennsylvania Senator and 2012 GOP presidential contender Rick Santorum said Sunday that President Obama is a "sore winner" based on how he is handling many key issues and that in the end, he doesn't want immigration reform to pass because it might help the GOP.

"That's the problem with this administration. They don't – they're not very gracious winners. And I always said, you know, there's one thing worse than a sore loser, and that's a sore winner. And the president's a sore winner," Santorum told ABC's George Stephanopoulos on "This Week." "He could get something done on deficits and entitlements, but he's got to move his people to do that, instead of forcing Republicans always to come his way. And that's the problem."

Santorum's statements highlight a growing concern among Republican leaders that the president could bring Democrats to vote for some type of compromise budget, but doing so would most likely require the president himself to twist arms for some to vote to decrease or cut entitlement spending. more >>

The Evangelical Immigration Table has launched the "I was a stranger" prayer challenge to encourage Christians to spend 40 days reflecting on scripture passages dealing with immigration and pray about what they read.

Churches and individuals who take the challenge are provided with a digital copy of a bookmark they can use. The bookmark lists 40 Bible passages that speak to the immigration issue.

The Evangelical Immigration Table has a statement of principles, signed by many evangelical leaders across the country, calling for a bipartisan immigration reform based upon those principles. The principles are: respecting the God-given dignity of every person, protecting the unity of the immediate family, respecting the rule of law, guaranteeing secure national borders, ensuring fairness to taxpayers, and establishing a path to legal status or citizenship for current unauthorized immigrants. more >>

Since the Republicans lost both the White House and any chance of gaining control of the U.S. Senate for the foreseeable future, party leaders are licking their wounds and trying to determine how to attract Hispanic voters. Now Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is saying that goal will be a "challenge."

"The challenge for the conservative movement, the challenge for every movement in America … is applying [our] principles to the 21st century," he said to Politico's Mike Allen at Wednesday's Playbook Breakfast. "We applied them to the 20th century, but now we have to apply them to the 21st century."

However, Rubio does think there is a decent chance of immigration reform being passed before the end of President Obama's second term, including a path to citizenship. more >>

Former President George W. Bush who has spent the past four years out of the political limelight, addressed immigration reform in a speech in Dallas on Tuesday, saying it would help boost the economy.

"Immigrants come with new skills and new ideas," Bush told those gathered at the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas. "They fill a critical part in our labor market. They work hard for a better life."

During his second term, the former Texas governor tried to pass a comprehensive immigration reform package with the help of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) in 2007. However, it was dealt a deathblow by fellow Republicans. more >>

WASHINGTON – Business owners, law enforcement officials and evangelicals attending this week's National Immigration Forum in Washington, D.C., converged Tuesday to call out the "small minority" of the Republican Party that is halting immigration reform and urged for bipartisan effort to pass reform.

Brad Bailey, a restaurant owner and CEO of the Texas Immigration Solutions, told reporters that a small yet vocal part of the Republican Party hijacked the discussion about illegal immigrants over four months ago at the GOP's national convention. When he and others tried to change the immigration portion of the party's platform, Bailey said, "They attacked us five times."

However, he and others in town for the National Immigration Forum's strategy sessions Tuesday and Wednesday are forging a new coalition to push for immigration reform. The bipartisan coalition has representatives from the conservative states of Utah and Texas, and Hispanics and faith leaders who are vocal proponents for policies that keep immigrant families together. more >>