Romney calls Arizona immigration law a model for the nation In last nights Republican debate Mitt Romney came out hard for Arizona’s enforcement centric legislation as a model for immigration reform nationally.”Mitt Romney called the controversial Arizona illegal immigration law a model for the country, and blasted the Obama administration for challenging it in court.”I will drop those lawsuits on Day One,” Romney said in response to a question on illegal immigration during a GOP candidate debate in Mesa, Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the bill, was in the audience. “I’ll also complete the fence, I’ll make sure we have enough Border Patrol agents to secure the fence, and I will make sure we have an E-Verify system and require employers to check the documents of workers,” he added.”

The man behind Romney’s “self-deportation” plan Romney’s immigration adviser Kris Kobach, has come out in defense of “self deportation,” saying that he hopes that by 2016 we will have made 5.6 million undocumented immigrants leave the country.” If Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has his way, Mitt Romney’s first term as president will see the largest forced exodus of people from the United States since the mid-1950s. Kobach, an adviser to the Romney campaign on immigration policy, is also the chief legal architect of a long-standing conservative campaign to stop the influx of undocumented immigrants, primarily from Mexico and Central America, who come to America to work .“If we had a true nationwide policy of self-deportation, I believe we would see our illegal alien population cut in half at a minimum very quickly,” Kobach told Salon in a recent intervew. With an estimated 11 million undocumented residents in the country, Kobach is hoping to force 5.5 million people to leave the country by 2016.”

Democrats slam Romney on immigration in new ad Today Democrats have released a new advertisement labeling Mitt Romney the most extreme presidential candidate on immigration ever.

CNN/Time Poll: All tied up in Arizona The day before the only Republican primary debate to be had before the highly contested Arizona and Michigan primaries, a new CNN poll shows Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum in a statistical dead heat in the grand canyon state. “According to a CNN/Time/ORC International poll released Tuesday, 36% of people likely to vote in Arizona’s February 28th GOP presidential primary say they’re backing Romney as their party’s nominee, with 32% supporting Santorum. The former Massachusetts governor’s four point margin over the former senator from Pennsylvania is within the survey’s sampling error, meaning they are basically tied for the top spot.”

Romney Arizona Co-Chair Resigns Amid Allegation Meanwhile after allegations of misconduct rocked his office Pinal County Sheriff and Congressional Candidate Paul Babeu has stepped down as a Co-Chair for Mitt Romney in Arizona. “Mr. Babeu made national headlines for his tough stance on illegal immigration. He endorsed Mr. Romney in October and is running for Congress in Arizona’s Fourth District.The news of Mr. Babeu’s decision to step down from the Romney campaign was first reported by The Arizona Republic. On Thursday, The Phoenix New Times reported the allegations of a 34-year-old Mexican man whom it identified only as “Jose.” He said that when he refused to sign an agreement that he would never mention his relationship with Mr. Babeu, which he said lasted for years, the sheriff and his lawyer tried to intimidate him with threats of deportation.”

Immigration bills sought by Kobach get lukewarm response in Kansas In Kansas, new legislation from Immigration mastermind Kris Kobach is dead on arrival in the state legislature. “After four days of passionate testimony last week, leading Republican lawmakers don’t appear willing to tackle the aggressive immigration measures that Secretary of State Kris Kobach — a fellow Republican — has been advocating. I don’t have a burning desire to address immigration this year,” said House Speaker Mike O’Neal, a Hutchinson Republican. “If we do address immigration in some way, I want it to be something that gets a lot of buy-in and that people can agree this is the way to go.”

Immigration and the GOP Campaign in AZ - A New York Times Op-Ed examines how the Modern Day GOP has abandoned its past principled stands on immigration as integral to our national interest has now been caught in the grips of campaign rhetoric with little to back up their claims. “These candidates have abandoned decades of Republican moderation on immigration, disowning views once held by Ronald Reagan, both Presidents Bush and Congressional Republicans — like Mel Martinez, Sam Brownback, Lindsey Graham and John McCain — who once led a sizable coalition for bipartisan reform but have since either left the Senate or their principles behind. Mitt Romney has moved farthest to the fringe. His scheme for fixing immigration is mass expulsion: a fantasy of ridding the country of 11 million unauthorized immigrants by making their lives unbearable. The key to his harsh vision is “self-deportation,” the deceptively bland-sounding policy that he introduced at a debate. It accepts that arresting and expelling so many millions would be impossible — like deporting the State of Ohio. But it replaces that delusion with another: That people can be made miserable enough to leave on their own.”

Immigrants Trickling back To Alabama- In the wake of a court injunction blocking parts of Alabama’s state passed immigration law immigrants have begun returning to Alabama. “Ana Jimenez and her husband were so terrified of being sent back to their native Mexico when Alabama’s tough crackdown on illegal immigrants took effect that they fled more than 2,000 miles to Los Angeles, cramming into a two-bedroom apartment with more than 20 other relatives.Now they are among the families coming back to cities like Birmingham, as the mass deportations never materialized and courts blocked parts of the law. No one knows how many people initially left the state, so it’s impossible to say how many have returned. But some illegal immigrants are trickling back, unable to find work elsewhere and missing the place that had been home for years.

An In Depth Look At The Border - A National Journal report examines how political rhetoric over undocumented immigration is disconnected from the everyday realities of life on the border.  ” The agents’ day-to-day jobs are far removed from the political battles over border security and immigration that go on in Washington and along the presidential campaign trail. The White House changed hands three years ago, and the immigration stances of some members of Congress may have helped or hurt their election prospects, but the only change that the rank-and-file Border Patrol has seen is a steady influx of resources, technical assistance, and manpower.When Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano left her job as Arizona governor in 2009 to join President Obama’s administration, she identified the Tucson sector as a top border-enforcement priority. It is the area most trafficked by smugglers along the Southwest border. In a National Journal interview last year, Napolitano said that the resources pouring into the region have “never been more extensive, and the president intends to sustain that.”

The full letter can be read here, some highlights below:

“All too often the southern borders get bashed in the media with negative press that make us look like the wild west. Immigration and border violence issues get the majority of the attention. We want the media and the United States to recognize that Arizona and our Santa Cruz County are much more than those negative reports. We will be opening the most modern and energy efficient port of entry in the United States in March of 2014. The Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales is currently being remodeled with the help of  approximately 200 million dollars appropriated to GSA two years ago. This is one project where government money is being used as productive investment for our economic security. We want the whole country to know what an incredible business opportunity
we have with our Mexican neighbors.

“Over 3 billion dollars worth of produce and over 18 billion dollars of Maquiladora products (twin manufacturing plants) are crossed thru Nogales and the United States on a yearly basis.

These products feed American families and give jobs to hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. These figures do not include the mining and cattle industries, which are also huge economic drivers for the State and the country. U.S. trade with Mexico reached a record $460 billion dollars in 2011. Mexico is the third largest U.S. trading partner and the second largest U.S. export market. Mexico purchased over $197 billion dollars of U.S. goods, which is 13.3% of the U.S. exports worldwide. This is an increase of 20% over the previous year. Mexico buys more U.S. goods than all of the rest of Latin America ($168 billion) and more than the combined purchases of Germany, France, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Italy ($191 billion). U.S. sales to Mexico exceed the combined U.S. sales to Brazil, Russia, India, and China-the BRIC countries ($176 billion).

Speaker Gingrich,Georgia’s trade with Mexico totals $5.6 billion annually, and 78,000 jobs in Georgia rely  on trade with Mexico.

Senator Santorum,Pennsylvania benefits from $5.21 billion in trade with Mexico annually, and 75,200 jobs  are directly tied to this trade.

Governor Romney,Massachusetts realized over $4.15 billion in trade with Mexico in a year, and 47,500 jobs in your state are directly tied to this trade relationship.

Congressman Paul, Texas trades over $151.35 billion of goods with Mexico annually, and 807,600 jobs in Texas  are directly impacted by trade with Mexico.

For more on the important economic relationship between the United States and Mexico please see our report Realizing the Value of Crossborder Trade With Mexico.

In Arizona Santorum Closes Gap Mitt Romney crushing the field in Arizona a week ago has now seen his polling advantage diminish drastically with only 2 weeks left until voting. “With less than two weeks before voters head to the polls for the Feb. 28 primaries, Romney leads in Arizona and Santorum leads in Michigan, but neither candidate has been able to pull away from the other.  Mitt Romney is at 39 percent in Arizona, followed by Santorum at 31 percent, according to the latest survey from conservative polling outlet Rasmussen. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul close out the field at 15 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

Mexico Billboard to US: No More Weapons! A billboard in Mexico made from pieces of crushed weapons flowing from the United States to Mexico implores the United States Government to stop the flow of assault weapons into their country. ” That is the message to the United States from none other than Mexico’s president, Felipe Calderon. It’s emblazoned on a  billboard made with crushed firearms and placed near the U.S. border. Calderon is pleading with the United States to stop the flow of weapons into Mexico. The billboard, which is in English and weighs 3 tons, was placed near an international bridge in Ciudad Juarez and can be seen from the United States. Calderon said the billboard’s letters were made with weapons seized by local, state and federal authorities.”

U.S. tightens grip on remote Mexico border areas – The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency is currently refurbishing barriers in remote border areas, “U.S. authorities have upgraded six miles of border fencing in a remote Arizona ranching town with a taller barrier that will be tougher to breach, in the latest effort to tighten their grip on the isolated stretches of the Mexico border. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said it has replaced outdated panel fencing that carved across the southern reach of Douglas, in the far southeast corner of Arizona, with an 18-foot-tall bollard and steel-mesh fence design.”

AZ Primary Could Push GOP Further To Right on Immigration As the Arizona primary on February 28 nears members of the media wonder if the Republican candidates will get pulled further to the right on immigration issues.”The Republican presidential candidates have recently gone silent on the lightning-rod issue of immigration, but that could change  soon with the Arizona primary fast approaching. In the past few months, the GOP presidential hopefuls seemed to change their positions on immigration depending on the state in which they are campaigning.”

Hundreds Rally Against Alabama Law  In Alabama hundreds protest the states anti immigration law on Valentines Day, saying that the state needs to show immigrants some love and respect. ” Hundreds packed the Alabama Statehouse courtyard on Tuesday to rally against the state’s tough immigration law, with organizers saying they chose to send a message on Valentine’s Day that lawmakers need to love and respect immigrants. People bused in from across the state to demand repeal of the law that aims to be tough on those in the country illegally. Protesters carried signs, one addressing Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, reading: “Gov. Bentley, don’t you have a heart?” Other signs read: “No Juan Crow” and “Una Familia, Una Alabama.” The protesters chanted in Spanish and English, “No more HB56″ (the bill that became the law) and “One family, one Alabama.” They delivered lollipops and Valentines to lawmakers, urging them to strike down the law.”

Cartel Leader Jailed In west Texas a gang leader is sentenced to death for his connection to cartel members in Mexico. “Officials say a Barrio Azteca gang leader in West Texas has been sentenced to life in federal prison after pleading guilty to participating in a racketeering conspiracy. “Federal prosecutors say Roberto Angel Cardona was the Barrio Azteca leader in El Paso. Authorities say witnesses testified that he ordered extortions, kidnappings and assaults. He was sentenced Tuesday. Cardona and other 35 gang members were indicted last March, and 18 have pleaded guilty. Some of the defendants are accused of the March 13, 2010, murders in Ciudad Juarez of U.S. a consulate employee and others.”

Santorum Jumps into AZ Sensing weakness from floundering GOP front runner Mitt Romney in Arizona, Rick Santorum enters the race in the Grand Canyon state. “Mitt Romney has taken the lead in Arizona with Rick Santorum in a close second ahead of the state’s February contest, according to a new poll. The American Research Group survey shows Romney with 38% support among likely Republican primary voters, followed by Santorum at 31%, Newt Gingrich at 15% and Ron Paul with 11%. The new figures represent a significant shift since January, when a similar poll indicated Romney and Gingrich tied at 32%, Paul with 12% and Santorum with 10%.

Hispanic Students protest Romney in AZ  Meanwhile Romney campaigning in Arizona runs into protest from Hispanic students over his harsh stances on the DREAM act. “A group of young Hispanics protested the visit of Republican president hopeful Mitt Romney to Arizona because of his stance on immigration reform and the DREAM Act, a bill that would provide a path to legalization for undocumented students.We’re here because we’re not going to let Romney attack the immigrant youth. “We’re very bothered and disappointed by his promise to veto the DREAM Act if it gets to the White House,” Dulce Matuz, president of the Arizona Coalition for the DREAM Act, told Efe.”

Romney Walks with Anti Immigrant Crowd  A withering New York Daily News editorial  highlights the perils Romney faces in bringing so many anti-immigrant advisers onto his campaign. ” Does Mitt Romney have a death wish? If not, what explanation could there be for him seeking the endorsement of Pete Wilson, the long-forgotten former Republican governor of California, who is universally despised by Latinos, the fastest growing voting block in the country? While governor, Wilson did everything in his power to enact Proposition 187, the infamous 1994 California ballot measure that would have cut off many public services to undocumented immigrants and was a precursor to anti-immigration laws of Arizona, Alabama and other states. His support for Proposition 187 didn’t work out too well for the GOP, provoking a massive flight of Latino voters to the Democratic party.”

Mitt Romney seeks conservative cred in Arizona In Arizona Mitt Romney sticks to his usual stump speech avoiding immigration in favor of hitting his Republican rivals. “Without mentioning Rick Santorum by name, Romney delivered an attack on his leading GOP opponent’s résumé while defending his own experience. Though Santorum is not a big threat to Romney in Arizona’s Feb. 28 primary, the two are running close in Michigan, where Romney was raised and where his father served as governor. “We’ve got four guys on the Republican side all running for president,” Romney told the older crowd of about 2,000 people gathered at an outdoor amphitheater in this Mormon-heavy Phoenix suburb.

Congressmen travel to Nogales for big-picture view of the border  Rep. Luis Gutierrez Democratic stalwart for immigration reform joined Rep. Raul Grijalva at the Southwest Border in Nogales to highlight the importance of the movement of legal commerce  and people from the border region to the country overall as a component of our current national discussion around immigration reform. “The council chambers at City Hall were converted into a congressional hearing room on Friday as a four-member delegation of U.S. representatives came to town to hear local officials and community leaders testify on border issues. The ad hoc field hearing was organized by Rep. Raul Grijalva, a Democrat who represents Nogales and Rio Rico in Congress. He said the idea was to expand the discussion of border policy to include economic and social issues as well as security concerns. “We understand enforcement. We are not begrudging or taking away from that effort,” Grijalva said at the start of the meeting. “But we also feel that you need a complete picture of what the border is and what the border needs.”"

Mexico sets tourism record despite drug violence Mexico’s national tourism agency released figures recently which highlighted record number of tourists vacationing in their country. “Mexico attracted a record number of foreign visitors last year despite a frightening drug war that is prompting travel warnings for a number of areas around the country. Mexico’s tourism agency released new figures (link in Spanish) showing that the number of foreign travelers arriving by air in 2011 rose to 22.7 million, the most since the Bank of Mexico began keeping track in 1980. There was growth in each of the last five months of the year, officials said. Tourism also got a boost from Mexican travelers, who registered 167 million visits to tourist spots. The total of Mexican and foreign tourists was 2% higher than for 2008, which had been the best year on record.”

Homeland Security would see slight spending trim The President announced his budget, and the Department of Homeland security will only see a minor reduction in funding.”The new budget proposal would trim funding for the Department of Homeland Security by 0.5 percent, or $191 million below the 2012 enacted level of $39.5 billion. The budget would maintain core operations, including the continued deployment of 21,186 Customs and Border Protection officers and 21,370 Border Patrol agents. And the proposal contains $6.1 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund. The proposed budget provides $769 million to improve the cybersecurity of federal civilian information technology networks, and the department will enhance its outreach to state and local government and key infrastructure sectors.”

Arizona Accord aims to guide immigration dialogue A group of local businesses have come together to create a set of five guiding principals to elevate discourse around immigration.”Arizona is following in Utah’s footsteps as business and civic leaders push for public support of five principles they hope will guide Arizona’s immigration discussion in a new direction. But Republican lawmakers say they’re not interested in that direction.  Called the Arizona Accord, the five principles mimic the Utah Compact created by business leaders in 2010. The principles support developing federal solutions, focusing local law-enforcement resources on criminal activities as opposed to civil violations of federal law, keeping families together and improving the health and well-being of all Arizona children, acknowledging the economic role immigrants play as workers and taxpayers, and treating immigrants with humanity and inclusion.”

Labor Dept. Issues New Rules for Guest Workers In the absence of any movement forward from Congress on any sort of overhaul of our current immigration system, the Department of Labor unveiled new rules for guest workers. “The Labor Department on Friday unveiled rules that reshape a program for foreign migrants in work other than agriculture, which officials said would strengthen protections for those workers and also spur recruitment of Americans for such jobs. It was the latest move in a protracted battle between employers and the Obama administration over the nation’s temporary guest workers.”

Appeals Court Halts Deportation of 7 Immigrants An Obama administration policy on prioritization of immigration deportations is tested when a 9th Circuit judge demanded the Obama administration explain whether the immigrants can avoid deportation because of two memos released last year by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director John Morton. “A San Francisco-based federal appeals court is putting the Obama administration’s new immigration directive to the test by halting the deportation of seven immigrants alleged to be in the country illegally. In a 2-1 ruling on Monday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals demanded the Obama administration explain whether the immigrants can avoid deportation because of two memos released last year by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director John Morton urging prosecutors to use “discretion” when deciding whether to pursue immigration cases. “

Alabama’s immigration law: Denying children food stamps  A Los Angeles Times Op-Ed examines how Alabama’s immigration legislation is hurting children, “Alabama’s immigration law was the focus of a recent episode of “This American Life.” For the segment, Jack Hitt traveled to Alabama shortly after HB 56 went into effect to see how the draconian law, which has been comparedto the Fugitive Slave Act, had quickly created a culture of fear and shame.