The New York Times reports that Organizing for Action “will jump into the immigration debate this week with an aggressive online effort to highlight the personal stories of immigrants. The group has collected 7,000 stories from supporters, some of whom entered the country illegally or were brought as young children by their parents. Organizers say they will distribute the stories using Twitter, Facebook and blogs beginning this week.”

Ron Brownstein
says Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s (R) decision not to expand Medicaid (unlike
other GOP governors) could be what ultimately hands Texas to the Democrats.

“Rejecting the
federal money might not pose an immediate political threat to Texas
Republicans, whose coalition revolves around white voters responsive to
small-government arguments. But renouncing the money represents an
enormous gamble for Republicans with the growing Hispanic community,
which is expected to approach one-third of the state’s eligible voters
in 2016. Hispanics would benefit most from expansion because they
constitute 60 percent of the state’s uninsured. A jaw-dropping 3.6
million Texas Hispanics lack insurance.”

He concludes: “In
1994, California Republican Gov. Pete Wilson mobilized his base by
promoting Proposition 187, a ballot initiative to deny services to
illegal immigrants. He won reelection that year–and then lost the war as
Hispanics stampeded from the GOP and helped turn the state lastingly
Democratic.”

A new Public Religion Research Institute survey finds overwhelming support for a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants from the most religious Americans.

CNN: “The strongest support for a pathway to citizenship came from Hispanic Catholics, Hispanics Protestants and black Protestants, according to the poll. More than 70 percent of people who identified with those groups supported the immigration change. Additionally, more than half of all Jewish Americans (67%), Mormons (63%), white Catholics (62%), white mainline Protestants (61%) and white evangelical Protestants (56%) supported the inclusive immigration policy.”

“My views haven’t changed. I don’t know why it’s hard for everybody to grasp this. It’s not just the question of a path to citizenship or a path to legalization. I’ve been supportive of both. We have to change our laws so that it’s easier for someone to come legally rather than illegally. That’s the point that people haven’t quite grasped. I don’t view that as flip-flopping at all.”

— Jeb Bush, quoted by Businssweek, explaining his views on immigration.

“Republican opposition to legalizing the status of millions of illegal immigrants is crumbling in the nation’s capital as leading lawmakers in the party scramble to halt eroding support among Hispanic voters — a shift that is providing strong momentum for an overhaul of immigration laws,” the New York Times reports.

Wonk Wire: Prospect for immigration reform brighten.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) “is endorsing a pathway to citizenship for the nation’s 11 million illegal immigrants, a significant move for a favorite of tea party Republicans who are sometimes hostile to such an approach,” the AP reports.

In a speech to be delivered later this morning, the potential 2016 presidential candidate will say, “If you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you.” 

A new Latino Decisions poll finds that 32% of Latinos would more likely to vote Republican if the GOP backs a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. If they do not, 39% said they would be less likely to back Republican candidates.

However, 48% said they’re unlikely to change their view of the Republican Party either way.

Jeb Bush suggests to Michael Gerson that if he were writing his book, Immigration Wars, today instead of last year, he would probably have advocated a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Said Bush: “The book was written last year in a certain environment. The goal was to persuade people against immigration reform to be for it. Since that time, eight of 100 senators have moved, and not much in the House… When we were working on this, Marco Rubio wasn’t for a path to citizenship.”

The stunning reversal by Jeb Bush on supporting a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants “comes down to a colossal political miscalculation,” National Journal reports.

“When Bush and co-author Clint Bolick were writing the book during the 2012 presidential campaign, the GOP was veering far to the right. Republican nominee Mitt Romney had staked out a hardline position against illegal immigration, blasting his primary rivals as pro-amnesty and promoting ‘self-deportation’ for undocumented workers. Bush sent the book to the printer before Christmas – weeks before a handful of Senate Republicans embraced a sweeping overhaul that, like the proposals backed by Bush’s brother, former President George W. Bush, would allow illegal immigrants to earn citizenship.”

“In other words, Bush’s party unexpectedly moved a lot faster than the book publishing world.”

The Miami Herald quoted an angry adviser to Mitt Romney’s presidential run: “Where the hell was this Jeb Bush during the campaign?”

In his new book, Immigration Wars, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) makes a notable reversal on immigration reform, “arguing that creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants would only encourage future unauthorized immigration,” Huffington Post reports.

Writes Bush: “It is absolutely vital to the integrity of our immigration system that actions have consequences — in this case, that those who violated the law can remain but cannot obtain the cherished fruits of citizenship. To do otherwise would signal once again that people who circumvent the system can still obtain the full benefits of American citizenship.”

The Associated Press reports that the Homeland Security Department
official in charge of the agency’s immigration enforcement and removal
operations has resigned after hundreds of illegal immigrants were
released from jails because of government spending cuts.

Update: Politico reports the agency denies the story and says the official announced his departure “weeks ago.”

The Fix: “The Republican political establishment sees immigration reform as a political necessity. Much of the party’s base sees it as the end of the rule of law. And therein lies the problem for a party trying to pick itself up off the mat following an across-the-board defeat in 2012.”

“It’s not clear how Republicans can bridge the growing divide between how the establishment views immigration (a political problem that needs to be solved yesterday) and how some significant portion of the base views it (a foundational principle about not rewarding rule-breakers).”

Talking Points Memo suggests the leak of the White House immigration reform plan — which Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) immediately shot down as “dead on arrival” — might be part of an overall strategy.

“Not wanting to be seen as a shill for a Democratic President’s signature achievement, Rubio’s strategy from the start has been to play up his differences with the White House as much as possible. This weekend’s outburst was only the latest incident: in interviews with the Wall Street Journal, Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and other conservative thought leaders, Rubio has positioned himself as the right-wing antidote to a far-left White House on immigration.”

“This touring indignation act isn’t just for Rubio’s own benefit. The Republicans he needs to win over to pass a bill will be a lot more comfortable if they think they’re somehow thumbing their nose at Obama by voting for it.”

Newt Gingrich admitted on ABC News that Republicans are likely to oppose any immigration reform backed by President Obama because they just don’t like him.

Said Gingrich: “I think that negotiated with a Senate immigration bill that has to have bipartisan support could actually get to the president’s desk. But an Obama plan led and driven by Obama in this atmosphere with the level of hostility towards the president and the way he goads the hostility I think is very hard to imagine that bill, that his bill is going to pass the House.”

A draft of a White House immigration proposal obtained by USA Today would allow illegal immigrants to become legal permanent residents
within eight years.

“The bill is being developed as members in both chambers of Congress are
drafting their own immigration bills. In the House, a bipartisan group
of representatives has been negotiating an immigration proposal for
years and are writing their own bill. Last month, four Republican
senators joined with four Democratic senators to announce their
agreement on the general outlines of an immigration plan.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that many Republicans and some Democrats have cautioned Obama “to keep his
distance from the process for fear of driving away potential GOP
support.”

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) called the proposal “half-baked” and predicted it was dead on arrival on Capitol Hill.

“Slow down. Slow down. How about a little foreplay?”

— House Speaker John Boehner, quoted by ABC News, joking that with bipartisan conversations on immigration reform taking place it’s too early to talk about specific legislation.

A new Washington Post poll finds that 70% of Americans said they would support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, including 60% of Republicans.

But when the same question was asked of a separate sample of respondents, this time with Obama’s name attached to it, support dropped to 59% overall and just 39% among Republicans.

“Evangelicals nationwide are turning their Bibles to Matthew 25:35 and praying that Congress is listening to those words — part of a highly-coordinated effort to spur progress on the long unresolved and contentious issue of immigration,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.

“Faith leaders and their congregations have become an unlikely but powerful ally to reform advocates, framing the question over what to do with 11 million unauthorized residents as one of moral compassion, and tapping into influence among Republicans to soften opposition to a pathway to citizenship.”