In 2010, I endorsed Rand Paul for US Senate, and my Political Action Committee that supports anti-amnesty candidates contributed to and raised money for his campaign. Rand Paul's platform stated, "I do not support amnesty. Those who come here should respect our laws." He supported Arizona's SB 1070, opposed birthright citizenship, an "electronic fence" and stated, "our greatest national security threat is our lack of security at the border."

Now, I am regretting my endorsement and contribution to his campaign. Since Obama's reelection, Rand Paul has repeatedly waffled on immigration. In a speech before the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, he completely flip-flopped.

Rand Paul began his speech in Spanish and it went downhill from there. His speech was filled with virtually every single discredited pro-amnesty cliché you could imagine. He said our conversation on immigration must begin "by acknowledging we aren't going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants." He said he opposed amnesty, but then went on to promote just that arguing "The solution doesn't have to be amnesty or deportation-a middle ground might be called probation where those who came illegally become legal through a probationary period." more >>

One of the largest surveys on immigration ever conducted in the United States reveals that a majority of Americans support immigration reform that leads to a pathway to citizenship, but it also highlights that Americans are more concerned about jobs, reducing the budget deficit and changing the federal income tax system, according to a report released Thursday by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and the religion, policy and politics project at the Brookings Institution, a left-of-center think tank.  

A panel discussion on the survey, Religion,Values and Immigration Survey Release: What Factors Influence Views on Immigration Policy? in which nearly 4,500 people were asked to share their opinions about immigration issues, reveals that 63 percent of respondents "agree that the immigration system should deal with immigrants who are currently living in the U.S. illegally by allowing them a way to become citizens." But it also shows that 56 percent of Americans believe that immigration has a negative impact on wages.

The survey was conducted by calling respondents on landlines and cellphones (1,800 were surveyed via cell phone), in English and Spanish, and includes a demographic breakdown of political affiliations, including the Tea Party, race, gender, religion, geographic location and age. more >>

The Evangelical Immigration Table, a coalition of evangelical groups that support immigration reform, called for a path to citizenship for current unauthorized immigrants.

"As evangelicals, we don't believe there are second class images of God, and therefore we don't believe in a second class status for people who are willing to follow and earned path for citizenship," the Rev. Jim Wallis, president and CEO of Sojourners, said on a press call announcing the statement.

The issue of whether current undocumented immigrants should be given a path to legal status or a path to citizenship, without having to return to their home country first, was recently raised by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. In a new book on immigration, Bush suggested that current undocumented immigrants should only be allowed a path to legal status, though he later softened that stance after speaking to some Republican members of Congress working on the immigration issue. more >>

Among its many recommendations in a report published Monday, the Republican National Committee plans a concerted effort to improve its relations with minority communities.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus previewed the results of the report in a Sunday interview on CBS' "Face the Nation."

"We've become a party that parachutes into a community four months before an election," Priebus complained. "... In comparison to the other side, the Obama campaign lived in these communities for years. The relationships were deep, they were authentic." more >>

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Churches are the "point of entry" to the Latino community, Alfonso Aguilar, executive director of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, told his fellow conservatives Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

The conservative movement cannot grow, Aguilar warned, unless it reaches out to and engages with the Latino community. The good news, Aguilar said as he paraphrased Ronald Reagan, is that Latinos are conservative, they just do not know it yet. If Latinos are educated about the conservative agenda, "they will realize that their values are conservative values."

Many Latino immigrants came to the United States, Aguilar said, because they were attracted to the U.S. "system of opportunities and liberties," and sought to free themselves from "state run economies" and "intrusive governments." more >>

Editors' Note: This is the second of a three-part series on the greening of the Hispanic community's participation in national politics, brought to the forefront by a decision by progressive Democrats to push gay marriage equality into the national debate over immigration reform.

The second article explores controversy within the Hispanic community over gay rights, and the third analyzes faith trends among younger Hispanics that may lead to an erosion of lock-step support for Democrats in favor of more independent voting status for Hispanics.

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