U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) quickly issued a statement over the weekend regarding the Gang of Eight's immigration reform plan after his colleague, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), said all members have agreed on a proposal.

On NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Chuck Todd asked Schumer "is a deal done?"

Schumer told Todd that the gang of eight will have a proposal ready next week that will go to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, for markup and debate in the committee, and then it will move to the Senate floor in May for debate among all members. more >>

Big business and labor finally resolved a dispute over a low-skilled worker program that was a major obstacle in the ongoing efforts for a sweeping immigration reform bill. However, Fla. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio's office cautioned that Congress still has a long way to go.

The deal was struck in a phone call late Friday night with AFL-CIO labor federation President Richard Trumka, U.S. Chamber of Commerce head Tom Donohue, and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, who's been mediating the dispute, The Associated Press reported.

A person familiar with the negotiations was quoted as saying that the deal resolves disagreements over wages for the new workers and the industries that should be included. more >>

The Senate voted 43 to 56 against an amendment to the budget resolution this past weekend that would have prevented illegal immigrants from receiving Medicaid or Obamacare benefits if they qualify to receive a green card or are granted legal status under the immigration reform plan.

Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and ranking member of the Budget Committee, introduced the amendment, which was voted down and split along party lines for the "gang of eight" senators who are working on a bipartisan immigration reform plan.

"The core legal and economic principle of immigration is that those seeking admission to a new country must be self-sufficient and contribute to the economic health of the nation," Sessions said in a statement. "But, for years, the federal government has failed to enforce this law. This principle is even more urgent when dealing with those who have illegally entered the country." more >>

The bipartisan group of congressmen in the House, who are part of the "secret" group of eight, are expected to present their proposal for comprehensive immigration reform one to two weeks after April 9, when they return from Passover and Easter recess.

Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), who's among the original five members who started meeting privately four years ago to discuss immigration reform, told The Christian Post he cannot reveal any details about the House plan, because members of the group have agreed not to discuss their proposal until it's complete. But he is, however, "looking forward to a time when he can talk about it."

Carter confirmed earlier this month that E-Verify is expected to be an integral part of immigration reform, and he told CP on Wednesday that "any changes will have to be implemented over a three-year period" because we "need an E-Verify system that serves everybody," including owners of small businesses, whom he says "will not be disadvantaged" by a reformed E-Verify system, and it will be "an advantage to them." more >>

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 >>