A group that opposes illegal immigration announced Thursday that it no longer supports former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs.

(CNN) – A political organization that opposes illegal immigration announced Thursday that it will no longer support commentator and former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs.

After being a vocal critic of proposals for federal amnesty for illegal immigrants, Dobbs appeared to soften his stance late last month in an interview with Telemundo, a Spanish-language television network.

Dobbs told Telemundo he is one of the Latino community's "greatest friends."

"What isn't working is a penalty to those who are in this country illegally for whom we can both be building a bridge to the future in which there is legalization and at the same time constructing an environment in which everyone is clear and unequivocal about the need for border security and a regulated flow of immigration," Dobbs also said in the interview.

At the time, Dobbs maintained that his position on immigration has not changed despite what appears to be a more moderate stance.

But the political action committee that has supported Dobbs disagreed, announcing on its Web site Thursday that it now opposes him.

"Americans for Legal Immigration PAC is withdrawing support for Lou Dobbs after years, including the suspension of websites calling on Dobbs to run for President due to the perceived change in Mr. Dobbs's stances on immigration issues," the organization wrote.

"His recent comments on Telemundo and his national radio show supporting some kind of path to citizenship for illegal immigrants is inconsistent with positions of ALIPAC and the views of most American citizens," William Gheen, a representative of AILPAC also said in the written statement.

In a separate telephone interview with CNN, Gheen said that the group continues to respect Dobbs for helping to highlight the issue of illegal immigration.

But, Gheen added that Dobbs' recent remarks have "just blown everyone's minds" and that the group found itself at an "unexpected impasse" with Dobbs at this point.

"We feel like: Who are you and what have you done with Lou Dobbs?" Gheen explained.

Dobbs, who parted with CNN in mid-November, has since suggested that he might run for president or challenge New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez in 2012.

–CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney contributed to this report.

Washington (CNN) - Disagreement among Democrats over immigration language in the health care bill is complicating efforts by House Democratic leaders to round up votes needed to pass a bill by this weekend.

Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are pushing back against the addition of a provision to the bill that would bar illegal immigrants from buying health insurance using their own funds. This measure is already included in the Senate Finance Committee's version of the bill and is backed by the White House.

The House Democrats' bill already includes requirements for immigrants to verify their citizenship before getting federal subsidies to buy health insurance.  But some conservative Democrats have indicated they support the Senate language.

Rep Charles Gonzalez, a leading Member of Hispanic Caucus, said he and other Latino members will make their case to President Obama in a meeting at the White House this afternoon.  "We are going to ask him to revisit the manner in which they are approaching it and what's going on in the Senate."

"I understand the politics of it, but it is it very bad policy and I'd love for once the policy to trump the politics,"  Gonzalez told reporters.

Gonzalez said he and other members of Congresswant to keep the current version of the House bill - but if it's changed to add this stronger language, they could try to block it.  "Members of the Hispanic Caucus alone, we believe we have enough members that would be willing to express their disapproval through a vote that could be the difference," said Gonzalez.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A new national poll indicates that nearly three-quarters of all Americans would like to see a decrease in the number of illegal immigrants in the country.

Seventy-three percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Thursday morning called for a drop in the number of illegal immigrants, with 22 percent saying the number should remain the same and just 3 percent stating that there should be an increase in the number of illegal immigrants. That 73 percent figure is the highest number since CNN started asking this question four years ago.

According to the poll, 37 percent want to see all illegal immigrants deported, also the highest number since the questions was first asked in 2006, and another 23 percent say that the number of illegal immigrants in the country should be decreased significantly.

"Support for deporting all illegal immigrants is highest among older Americans and people who live in rural areas. It's highest in the South and Midwest and nearly as high in the Northeast, but only one in four Westerners think that all illegal immigrants should be deported," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted October 16-18, with 1,038 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

TOPICS: Illegal immigration

Full results (pdf)

RELATED STORIES:
3 out of 4 want illegal immigration decreased

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Will immigration reform return as the next big congressional fight? CNN's Dick Uliano
found high hopes at a Latino rally - but the political currents may berunning against those who want to overhaul the nation's immigration laws.

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Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, right, asked the CBO to analyze a proposal by Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, left, as well as health care reform legislation drafted in the House of Representatives.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The number of unauthorized immigrants who might illegally access health care subsidies under currently debated health care bills is too uncertain to calculate, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday.

The independent, nonpartisan legislative office estimated earlier this month that the bill proposed by Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Montana, would cost $774 billion.

In a letter Tuesday to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the budget office said its cost calculation included those who may try to cheat the system by misreporting income or family circumstance as well as access by unauthorized immigrants.

However, "we have no basis for quantifying those factors separately for this or other proposals," the letter said.

Grassley had asked the agency for details about health care coverage for illegal immigrants under both Baucus' proposal and the House's health care proposal.

Under the Baucus plan, unauthorized immigrants would not be eligible for coverage through what is called the "exchange," where consumers could choose among insurance plans or a government-run plan, the Budget Office said. They also would be ineligible for government subsidies. The verification process would be similar to the process that currently exists for Medicaid.

Stringent enforcement of a verification process would keep more illegal immigrants from getting insurance or subsidies from the government, but could discourage some eligible individuals from applying, the letter said.

In addition, vigorous enforcement would reduce subsidy costs to the government, but increase administrative costs, it said.

The House bill also would deny government subsidies to unauthorized immigrants. But according to a report by another independent government agency, the Congressional Research Service, the language of the bill does not set restrictions to the insurance exchange based on immigration status.

The Budget Office's letter to Grassley states that it took noncompliance with the law into account, "but again, we cannot provide a specific figure for coverage of unauthorized immigrants under that proposal."

The office did, however, provide estimates for how many immigrants living in the country illegally are insured under current law.

The agency projected that by 2019, there will be some 14 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States. Of those, nearly 60 percent, or 8 million, will be uninsured, the letter said. About 4 million will be insured through employment-based coverage, and another 1 million will have some alternate form of insurance, not including Medicaid, the Budget Office said.

The remaining 10 percent, or about 1 million unauthorized immigrants, will be covered through some form of Medicaid, it said. This coverage is possible under the current law, which allows illegal immigrants some Medicaid coverage for emergency care if they would be eligible for the program outside of their immigration status, the letter said.

The estimate of illegal immigrants on Medicaid includes those who access the benefits fraudulently, but "we believe that state agencies administering the Medicaid program successfully screen out most ineligible individuals," the letter said.

In an interview that airs Sunday on CNN's State of the Union, CNN Chief National Correspondent John King pointed out that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, recently told a conservative group Republicans were "'winning the health care debate.'"

The president's response to McConnell was simple but pointed.

"Well, you know... they were saying they were winning during the election, too," Obama told King.

Obama continued to push back against GOP charges illegal immigrants would be able to obtain insurance coverage under his health care plan, saying again he didn't think people in the country illegally should be eligible for coverage.

"Let me be clear - I don't think that illegal immigrants should be covered under this health care plan," the president told King. "There should be a verification mechanism in place. We do that for a whole range of existing social programs. And I think that's a pretty straightforward principle that will be met."

Full story

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (CNN) - President Obama said Monday at the North American Leaders Summit he is committed to "fix the broken immigration system."

The three North American countries depend on their borders being safe and secure, Obama said, adding that he supports "orderly and legal" migration, while respecting the American tradition of welcoming immigrants.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - In a signal that the Obama administration is changing tactics in dealing with illegal immigration, hundreds of businesses were notified Wednesday that federal authorities will be taking a closer look at their employment records to determine if they are hiring illegal aliens.

Kelly Nantel, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said businesses in every state and industry are being audited, "from agriculture-related businesses, to service businesses, to high-tech industry and everything in between." The companies were selected based on leads from ICE offices around the country.

On Wednesday, 652 audit notices were issued. By comparison, only 503 such notices were issued in all of fiscal year 2008, according to an agency statement.

The audits are a way to remind businesses that "the integrity of their employment records is an important as the integrity of their tax files or their banking records," Nantel said. They are also a means of identifying employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

Former President George W. Bush's administration favored another tactic - conducting workplace raids on companies suspected of employing illegals. But the raids were controversial, with critics charging they separated families and disrupted communities.

President Barack Obama has said his strategy will focus on employers, but Nantel said the raids have not been put on hold, although she was not able to provide information on the number of raids or number of illegal immigrants arrested.

Businesses who Wednesday received notice of an audit will have three days to produce I-9 forms for every employee. The form requires employers to review and record each individual's identity documents and determine whether the documents appear to be genuine. ICE agents and auditors will inspect the forms looking for missing and suspect documents, and cases of identity theft. Violations could lead to criminal or administrative penalties against employers or employees, or a full-blown ICE investigation.

"This is one of the more powerful tools we have to help push a culture of compliance," said Nantel.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama began tackling the contentious issue of immigration reform Thursday, hosting a bipartisan group of congressmen at the White House for what the administration called the "launch of a policy conversation."

The meeting, which was delayed twice as economic issues took center stage, was designed to be an "honest discussion of issues where we can identify areas of agreement, and areas where we still have work to do," according to the White House.

"I'm confident that if we enter into this (process) with the notion that this is a nation of laws that have to be observed and this is a nation of immigrants, then we're going to create a stronger nation for our children and our grandchildren," Obama said.

The president conceded, however, that "comprehensive immigration reform is difficult. We know it's a sensitive and politically volatile issue."

The meeting was short on specifics, but long on promises of cooperation across party lines. During the meeting, Obama sat next to his 2008 general election opponent, Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain.

The president said he wanted to "commend" McCain, who "has already paid a significant political cost for doing the right thing" on immigration.

McCain has been severely criticized by conservative Republicans for promoting a comprehensive immigration solution that includes a path to citizenship for the country's estimated 12 million undocumented workers.

Obama said the question of how to deal with those workers will have to be dealt with in a "practical, common-sense way."

The public is "ready for us to do so, but it's going to require some heavy lifting," Obama warned. "It's going to require a victory of practicality ... over short-term politics."

The meeting came less than a week after the president told a Hispanic audience that the "fair, practical and promising way forward" is to strengthen border security, clarify the status of those who are here illegally, and require illegal immigrants to pay a penalty and taxes.

He also said undocumented workers should learn English and "go to the back of the line behind those who played by rules" in terms of applying for citizenship.

–CNN's Dan Lothian and Lisa Sylvester contributed to this report

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday said he wants to work with members of Congress, including former Republican presidential rival Sen. John McCain, to revive efforts at immigration reform.

"We want to move this process," Obama said at a news conference on his 100th day in office. "We can't continue with a broken immigration system. It's not good for anybody."

Obama said he hopes a working group of lawmakers will begin crafting details of what would be in reform legislation and that he expects the process to be under way within the year.

Both Obama and McCain supported an ultimately failed plan backed by then-President George Bush that would have fined illegal immigrants living in the United States but provided a pathway to citizenship for some.

(CNN) – Word that President Obama might pile comprehensive immigration reform onto his already-full plate reignited calls from some for an urgent overhaul and brought cries from others that the timing couldn't be worse.

"It's more important than ever to address immigration reform right now," said Ian Haney Lopez, a professor of law at the University of California-Berkeley.

The financial and cultural dynamics of the economy make reform so urgent, he said.

"I worry that in the context of an economic downturn, the cultural response of that economic downturn will be to search for someone to blame, and that someone usually turns out to be a foreigner or someone perceived as foreigner," he said.

As a financial dynamic, he said, the economy also calls for immigration reform: "It's a mistake to understand immigrants as a drain on the economy. Immigrants in fact are the engine of development in this country and always have been," he said.

Full Story

The White House has made no secret of the fact that the President wants to see health care and energy reform passed this year.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Multiple Obama administration officials tell CNN that the White House is not pushing to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill this year. While it's a top priority for the President's first term, White House spokesperson Nick Shapiro says "the president has consistently said that he wants to start the discussion later this year because our immigration system is broken…but the economy comes first."

The White House has made no secret of the fact that the President wants to see health care and energy reform passed this year, and would be loathe to cripple those efforts with a fight over an issue as controversial as immigration reform. And White House strategists have to be keenly aware of the possible impact on House Democrats from red districts.

But the mood on Capitol Hill could be different.

Jim Manley, Sen. Harry Reid's senior communications advisor, tells CNN that the Majority Leader "intends to try to take comprehensive immigration reform to the floor later this year, probably in the fall." The situation in the House is trickier – a vote on the hot-button issue could hurt freshman Democrats who were elected in swing districts.
But House Democrats were presented with compelling evidence that voters want to see them trying to fix the immigration system. During the House Democrats' February retreat, Pete Brodnitz - who works for the same firm that does polling for the president - argued that Democratic House members should promote their own immigration reform plans.

"The downturn in the economy has not weakened the case for comprehensive reform and has the potential to strengthen the case for it," Brodnitz argued. He added that Democrats must take a lead because "the problem won't go away as long as the GOP continues to raise it" and that because Democrats run Congress and the White House that "makes us increasingly accountable for results."

Among the polling data he cited: 47 percent of voters believe that solving the issue of immigration should be a high priority for the Democratic Congress. Eighty percent of swing district voters say illegal immigration is a serious problem and more than half (57 percent) of swing district voters believe that immigration reform was not discussed enough during the election.

Brodnitz told House Democrats that his polling showed two thirds of voters believe immigrants who are not here legally "should become legal taxpayers and pay their fair share." He argued that "candidates who offer solutions to this problem can find that is an advantage – not just despite the economy but because of the economy."

Still, the White House insists the New York Times story on immigration "isn't news." Administration officials point out the president previously told members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce that he's always planned to start discussions on immigration reform this year.

The President will rely on a bipartisan, diverse group of experts to help build the framework for legislation, the officials said.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The White House is planning to start dealing with the nation's immigration system as early as this May, according to two senior administration officials.

The president will rely on a bipartisan, diverse group of experts to help build the framework for legislation, the officials said.

One official noted that immigration will "not be on the same track" as other key initiatives like health care and energy, and "nobody's promising legislation or a vote this year."

Meanwhile, the administration is dismissing suggestions that taking on immigration this year will put pressure on the president's already ambitious domestic agenda. Moving forward on immigration would fulfill another campaign promise.

The president acknowledges that tackling this issue will be challenging. Last month, at a town hall meeting in California, he said immigration is an "emotional" and "controversial" issue that "people get riled up politically about." But he added that "people who have been here for a long time and put down roots here, have to have some mechanisms over time to get out of the shadows."

House

(CNN) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she was standing by her statement that enforcement of some existing immigration laws is "un-American."

"ICE raids that separate parents from their children in the middle of the night are un-American, and I stand by that," Pelosi said when questioned about her remarks made last week at an immigration rally in San Francisco.

"We have to enforce our laws, we have to control our borders..." the California congresswoman told reporters. "We have to protect our workers, we have to, I believe, have a path to legalization for people who are in our country who are not fully documented. But we don't have to kick in doors in the middle of the night and take fathers out of their homes and think that we are solving the issue when we really need comprehensive immigration reform."

On Saturday, at an immigration rally in San Francisco, Pelosi criticized the practice of work site and housing raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Pelosi praised the predominantly immigrant audience, calling them "very, very patriotic" for "taking responsibility for country's future" by attending the rally on a Saturday night

"Who in this country would not want to change a policy of kicking in doors in the middle of the night and sending a parent away from their families," Pelosi said Saturday. "It must be stopped. What value system is that? I think it's un-American. I think it's un-American."

Photo credit: CNN.
On CNN's "State of the Union," CNN host and chief national correspondent John King goes outside the Beltway to report on the issues affecting communities across the country. King recently traveled to Arizona, to explore the debate over how to control illegal immigration.

SAN LUIS, Arizona (CNN) - The Yuma desert is below: San Luis, Arizona, to one side and San Luis, Mexico, to the other. On this clear day, the Colorado River is glistening, birds playfully circling over what any map defines as the U.S.-Mexico border in this area.

But from a helicopter above, the border is a steel barrier that stands out along the riverbank and against the desert sands, and is the dividing line that gets the most attention from those crying to cross illegally and those who believe recent efforts to bolster U.S. border security have been riddled with wrong choices.

Just this past week, eight Democrats in Congress wrote President Obama urging him to halt any further construction of the fence, one of the many border- and immigration-related political debates that have carried over from the Bush administration.

Full Story

Watch "State of the Union" this Sunday beginning at 9 a.m. ET.

Sen. McCain spoke to a Latino political group in June.

The Statement:

In an Obama campaign Spanish-language radio ad aimed at Latino voters that aired in New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada during the second week of September, the narrator says, "John McCain abandoned us on immigration reform rather than confront the leaders of the Republican Party."

Does Obama's radio ad accurately describe McCain on immigration?

The Facts:

McCain has backed away from his earlier efforts toward comprehensive immigration reform. In 2005, he teamed with Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, to push for a major immigration overhaul bill that included a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. The effort was never voted on in the Senate, and a similar fate befell a 2007 compromise bill that McCain also supported. McCain's endorsement of broad immigration reform legislation angered some conservatives and nearly derailed his presidential campaign in 2007.

At a Republican primary debate in January 2008, McCain was asked whether he would still vote for his own original measure. "No, I would not," he said, " ... because we know what the situation is today ... that people want the borders secured first."

McCain has moved border security to the top of his list of immigration issues, with his Web site saying that is his primary immigration priority. Other issues such as temporary worker programs and increasing available green card numbers can be dealt with "once the borders are secure," the site says.

McCain's votes on immigration-related measures in recent years have created a patchwork of positions rather than a clear platform. In 2006 McCain voted for building a fence along the Mexican border but also voted for allowing illegal immigrants to take part in Social Security and for a guest worker program that would have created a path to citizenship for working illegal immigrants. His current proposals range from requiring illegal immigrants to enroll in a status program, undergo criminal background checks and either seek legal residency or leave the country. Other proposals he is supporting include efforts to reunite families separated by immigration issues and the expediting of cases involving children.

The Verdict:

Mixed. While McCain has backed off his support of sweeping immigration reform, he has continued to endorse some immigration initiatives supported by Latino groups.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A pro-immigration group announced Wednesday it is beefing up efforts to promote its agenda, eight months before voters head to the polls.

America’s Voice has hired pro-immigration operative Frank Sharry to lead the organization, which will focus on “mobilizing” immigrant voters, and establishing a “campaign-style … rapid response war room.” Sharry is the former head of the National Immigration Forum.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll released this week shows that immigration ranks fifth behind the economy, Iraq, health care, and terrorism on the list of the most important issues heading into the elections.

Huckabee is campaigning in Texas prior to the state's March 4 primary.

LAREDO, Texas (CNN) – Saturday morning, Mike Huckabee took a trip to the border he talks about securing at every campaign stop.

Standing on the Northern bank of the Rio Grande in Laredo, Texas, Huckabee looked across to Mexico as a Border Patrol officer briefed him on the efforts being undertaken to stop illegal immigration.

Huckabee, a strong proponent of building a fence along the Southern border, told reporters that it was not about keeping people out, but keeping bad people out. He gave examples of drug and human traffickers as well as terrorists.

“I don’t resent that people want to come here, I’ve always said I thank God every day I’m in a country people are trying to break into, not in a country they’re trying to break out of,” said Huckabee, flanked by Chuck Norris and Rep. Duncan Hunter who has built a fence in his Southern California district.

As the former Arkansas governor tries to drum up support among conservatives just days before the Texas primary, illegal immigration is one of the issues Huckabee has repeatedly used to differentiate himself from frontrunner John McCain.

He almost never mentions McCain by name but in Lubbock on Friday, Huckabee said he’s the only candidate who believes the borders should be secured, as opposed to “wholesale amnesty.”

Asked Saturday if McCain’s position on immigration was too soft, Huckabee refused to answer, “I’m not going to characterize his position because I think that’s not really a healthy thing for me to get into.”

Instead, he reiterated that a border fence favors immigrants who have waited patiently for their legal status and helps fight the “assumption that everyone who is here with some Hispanic background is here illegally. That’s wrong, and that should never happen in the United States of America.”

– CNN Political Producer Alexander Marquardt

Watch John King's report about immigration and the Republican presidential race.

(CNN) - In an effort to preserve his front-runner status in Iowa's Republican presidential nomination race, Mitt Romney is using the hot-button issue of immigration against his rivals.

Chief National Correspondent John King was on the campaign trail with Romney in Iowa and filed this report.

Related video: Watch Romney's new ad

Watch Dana Bash's report about the immigration war between Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.

(CNN) - Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney launched a new ad on illegal immigration targeted at Mike Huckabee.

CNN's Dana Bash was on the campaign trail with Huckabee in Iowa and filed this report about Huckabee's response to Romney's ad and about an endorsement Huckabee received Tuesday.

Related Video: Watch Romney's new ad.

Huckabee's immigration plan is derived from a National Review article.

BLUFFTON, South Carolina (CNN) - The nine-point immigration plan released Friday by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee came with a footnote:

"Note: This plan is partially modeled on a proposal by Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies." That proposal by the conservative anti-illegal immigration activist was published in the National Review in May 2005.

Not only is Huckabee's plan strikingly similar to the magazine piece – in some cases, it contains exact quotations copied over from the article.

For instance, the Huckabee plan states that "Employment is the chief draw for most illegal immigrants and denying them jobs is the centerpiece of an attrition strategy."

Krikorian's article contains that same statement, verbatim.

Another example: Krikorian writes that "A presidential candidate should promote better cooperation by supporting legislative measures such as the CLEAR Act, which aims to systematize the relationship between local law and federal immigration officials."

Huckabee's plan seeks to empower local authorities by promoting "better cooperation on enforcement by supporting legislative measures such as the CLEAR Act, which aims to systematize the relationship between local law and federal immigration officials."

In all, there are nine instances of similar sentences or phrases appearing in both plans.

Huckabee said Friday he "absolutely" wanted his plan to mirror Krikorian’s so closely, and that the footnote made clear that his campaign did not plagiarize the article.

"We unapologetically admit that we have based it on the proposal that was in there, because we thought it was really one of the most rational approaches," Huckabee told reporters Friday.

The cribbing from Krikorian, who is known for his position in favor of major new limits on immigration, comes after charges from Huckabee’s Republican rival that he is soft on illegal immigration, a major campaign issue in early-voting states like Iowa and South Carolina.

– CNN South Carolina Producer Peter Hamby

Watch John Roberts' interview with "Chuck and Huck."

(CNN) – In this video clip, watch CNN’s John Roberts interview former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and Huckabee supporter Chuck Norris. The martial arts expert explained how he came to support the Republican presidential candidate. “Mike is a guy who means what he says and says what he means,” Norris told Roberts. “That’s why I jumped on the campaign trail with him.”

Huckabee brushed aside attacks against him by rival Mitt Romney telling Roberts “I’m going to let him say whatever he wants.” “I’m running for president. I’m not running against these other guys.”

Despite Huckabee’s good-natured outlook on his opponent’s jabs, Norris suggested Huckabee can take the rough-and-tumble of presidential politics. “We did some martial arts together and this guy’s tough,” said Norris. “He hung in there with me,” he added.

Huckabee also spoke with Roberts about his views on illegal immigration and his thoughts on the YouTube debate format.

Related video: Huckabee impresses Norris

–CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

Romney and Giuliani tussled over immigration at the beginning of the debate.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - In the first moments of the CNN/YouTube debate, sparks flew between former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on the issue of so-called sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants.

After Romney attacked Giuliani for saying New York was not a sanctuary city, Giuliani responded by saying Romney lived in a "sanctuary mansion" and that Romney employed illegal immigrants at his own home.

Romney denied the allegations.

Full story

– CNN Political Assignment Editor Katy Byron

Watch the candidates debate immigration.

(CNN) – Former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee jumped into the immigration showdown with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, saying that although immigrants are part of what makes the United States a great nation, "It's our home. We now get to decide who comes into our home. To place somebody above [those waiting for legal immigration] or in front of them in line is the wrong thing to do."

Thompson said federal funding should be cut off to cities that provide sanctuary to illegal immigrants.

Thompson also took a jab at Giuliani, who bashed Romney for employing illegal immigrants, and defended his own record of employee scandals.

"I think we've all had people probably that we've hired that in retrospect probably was a bad decision," Thompson said, referring to a campaign fundraiser and personal friend who resigned from the Thompson campaign because of drug-related crimes and issues with the IRS.

– CNN Associate Producer Natalie Apsell

Former Bush speech writer Michael Gerson is concerned about immigration and poverty.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Bush speech writer and book author Michael Gerson visited the Situation Room this week. Gerson spoke with Suzanne Malveaux about what he thinks in wrong with his party.

“Republicans can’t just talk about budgets. They have to talk about people,” Gerson told Malveaux. “Eventually, you need that message,” he added.

Gerson believes the Republican Party ought to do more to address poverty and “populist economic issues.” He also tells Malveaux that the GOP is making a mistake in blocking comprehensive immigration reform. The “Republican leadership of the Congress is actively alienating the fastest growing group of voters in America,” explained Gerson, referring to the country’s growing Latino population.

Watch Gerson discuss the GOP, poverty, immigration, and what he thinks of some of the 2008 presidential candidates.

– CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) - In some polls, immigration ranks behind only the Iraq war and the economy as Iowa voters' top issue.

A recent University of Iowa poll found that 58 percent of Republican voters consider the issue very important.

Republican candidates are trying to convince those voters that they are the ones to fix immigration as they head into the nation's first contest in the presidential primary season.

Iowa's meatpacking industry has become a magnet for illegal immigrants and the impact on taxpayers regularly makes headlines.

Iowa Republicans say the issue can make or break a campaign.

Full story

Ruben Navarette, Jr: Some in denial over immigration issues.

SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) - Score one for the knee-jerk naysayers. You know the type: those who find it easier to criticize proposed solutions to tough problems than to propose solutions of their own, which then could be criticized.

Faced with the problem of what to do with thousands of illegal immigrants who drive on state roadways every day to go to work for people who insist with a straight face that they want nothing to do with illegal immigrants, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer proposed a controversial, yet terribly sensible, plan to give the undocumented a state-issued driver's license that would be easily discernible from licenses carried by U.S. citizens and legal residents.

The plan hit roadblocks with the extremes, on the right and the left - which is always a good sign. But the criticism kept mounting. And now Spitzer has put the brakes on the plan after a brief but intense debate.

Correction. It wasn't really a debate. It was the rhetorical equivalent of a food fight in which pragmatism and common sense took a back seat to name-calling, fear-mongering and misrepresentation of fact - with a dash of racism.

More

Watch Wolf Blitzer's interview with the mayor of "Sin City."

(CNN) - While out in Las Vegas in preparation for CNN's Democratic presidential debate on Thursday, Wolf Blitzer took the opportunity to sit down with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. 

Watch Goodman discuss the Democratic and Republican presidential contenders, the political issues that are important to Las Vegas voters, and how Sin City handles illegal immigration when a third of its population is Latino, according to Goodman.

Related: Analysis: Vegas has become a political boomtown

Rep. Tancredo has released a new ad that links his fight against illegal immigration with the war on terror.

(CNN) - In this report, Correspondent Brian Todd places Rep. Tom Tancredo's, R-Colorado, new political ad in historical context with similar political ads and also takes a look at what the ad may do for Tancredo presidential campaign.

Related: Candidate defends ad portraying terrorist attack

Click here to see CNN's new political portal: CNNPolitics.com

Watch Arizona's governor discuss illegal immigration.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano was in the Situation Room Wednesday.  She discussed illegal immigration, border security, and Western politics with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.  Watch this clip.

Programming note: Watch CNN's Democratic presidential debate from Las Vegas, Nevada on November 15.

Watch Thompson discuss his immigration plan Tuesday.

(CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson, who in recent days has taken on his opponents over immigration, called for federal funds Tuesday to be cut off for cities that don’t crack down on illegal immigration.

Thompson, surrounded by police officers at a roundtable in Naples, Florida, outlined his first proposals on immigration reform. Thompson’s plan would address increased enforcement by adding at least 25,000 border patrol officers, doubling the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, and finishing a wall on the US/Mexico border.

The former Tennessee senator also called for action against so-called “sanctuary cities”. He said discretionary federal funding should be eliminated for states and cities that don’t report illegal immigrants and said, “We need to tell them, if you’re going to have sanctuary cities in violation of the law, you’re not getting federal money."

Thompson has directly criticized former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani for his handling of immigration while in office, and accused former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney of not speaking out against sanctuary cities until recently. But rival campaigns returned the favor, attacking Thompson on the issue.

The Giuliani campaign in a statement accused Thompson of not being “consistent or conservative” on immigration over the years, citing Senate votes against employer sanctions and a national employment verification system.

On the campaign trail in Boston, Giuliani said, “I’m the one who can bring about immigration reform. Some of the others have never done anything like the dimension of bringing about immigration reform....they’re kind of new to this endeavor."

Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said, “Fred is showing late, as usual, on the sanctuary cities issue, and is probably unfamiliar with all the details as well. Governor Romney has been the strongest candidate when it comes to demanding that our existing immigration laws are enforced.”

– CNN Political Desk Managing Editor Steve Brusk

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Most Americans would like to see fewer illegal immigrants in the country, but only three in 10 say all of them should be removed, a poll said Wednesday.

Just 7 percent of those polled said they would like to see the number of illegal immigrants increased; 22 percent said they would like the number remain the same; 16 percent wanted it decreased "a little"; and 22 percent wanted it decreased "a lot," the poll of 1,212 adult Americans found.

Blacks and whites differed over whether the number of illegal immigrants should be increased, with 14 percent of African-Americans saying they did, versus 3 percent of whites.

About one in five (19 percent) of blacks said they thought all illegal immigrants should be removed from the country, versus more than a third (35 percent) of whites who said that.

Blacks and whites overwhelmingly oppose state governments issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, with 76 percent of blacks and 83 percent of whites taking that stance, the poll said.

The races differed more on whether state and local police should turn over any illegal immigrants they may encounter, even if they have broken no state or local laws. In such cases, fewer than half of blacks (45 percent) and nearly two-thirds of whites (61 percent) said they believe they should.

Asked whether people who cannot read or write English should be allowed to vote, 54 percent of blacks said they should, versus 43 percent of whites.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated voting barriers such as a literacy test.

On a related topic, the public appeared split on foreign trade - 46 percent said they see trade more as an opportunity for economic growth, whereas 45 percent said they see it as a threat to the U.S. economy. Five percent said they see it as both an opportunity and a threat.

The telephone poll was carried out Friday through Sunday and had a sampling error of plus-or-minus 3.5 points.

Senator John McCain, R-Arizona.

AYNOR, South Carolina (CNN) - Sen. John McCain, whose reputation among grassroots conservatives has suffered because of his support of this summer's failed immigration reform bill, said Saturday he still supports a guest-worker program as long as the borders are secured first.

"I still think that we need to have a temporary worker program that is associated with tamper-proof biometric documents, and we need to address the issue of 12 million people in this country illegally," McCain told CNN on his "No Surrender" bus after a campaign stop in Florence, South Carolina. "But first we have to secure the borders."

McCain explained how he plans to regain the trust of people who may have given up on him after the immigration debate.

"You do town hall meetings, and have people come and ask you questions, and make comments," McCain said. "Retail politics is what you do, and I have assured people that the lesson is: Americans don't trust the government, so they didn't believe we would secure the borders first."

– CNN South Carolina Producer Peter Hamby

Mitt Romney campaigned in New Hampshire on Labor Day

ASHLAND, New Hampshire (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney spent his Labor Day sharing his views on illegal immigration with prospective voters at a campaign stop in Ashland, the Granite State's geographical center.

The former Massachusetts governor drew a significant crowd in this small town nestled between mountains and nearby Squam Lakes. The crowd of mostly older voters dressed in their Sunday best peppered the presidential hopeful on national security issues and his stance on how to deal with the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.

"The wrong answer is amnesty. We tried it twice before," said Romney. "Amnesty only led to more people coming into the country 'cause they say, 'Oh gosh, look if you get in illegally, ultimately they'll let you stay.' That's the wrong message."

"Amnesty, in my opinion, is the wrong way to go, and I believe the other candidates in this race are planning on amnesty, which I think is a mistake," he continued. "Their view is that if [they] come here illegally we've got to create a special pathway so that they can stay here. My view is that in fact people who come here illegally should get in line with everybody else, and there should be no special pathway to citizenship or permanent residency for those who have come here illegally."

Romney also railed against employers and businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants, as well as so-called "sanctuary cities," where local officials flout federal immigration laws.

"We are going to end the practice of sanctuary cities in this country and stop welcoming people that are here illegally," Romney said.

–CNN New Hampshire Producer Sareena Dalla

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigns in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, last week.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney Tuesday stepped up his ongoing attack on cities with what he calls sanctuary policies for illegal immigrants - including rival Rudy Giuliani's home city - with a new radio ad set to air in crucial campaign states Iowa and New Hampshire.

"Immigration laws don't work if they're ignored," the ad's announcer states. "That's the problem with cities like Newark, San Francisco and New York City that adopt sanctuary policies. Sanctuary cities become magnets that encourage illegal immigration and undermine secure borders."

"Legal immigration is great," Romney himself says in the ad. "But illegal immigration, that we've got to end. And amnesty is not the way to do it."

He also advocates in the ad cutting back on federal funds to cities that adopt sanctuary policies.

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Full story

Watch CNN Internet Correspondent Abbi Tatton report on the latest YouTube contradiction.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Confronted with an 11 year-old YouTube clip at odds with a recent speech declaring illegal immigration solvable, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani told a New Hampshire audience Thursday new technologies can end the problem now.

"Back in 1994, '95, we didn't have the technology that we have today," Giuliani told a Derry, New Hampshire crowd, according to CNN affiliate WMUR.

Shortly after Giuliani declared, "I promise you, we can end illegal immigration" earlier this week, a YouTube clip emerged of a speech the then-mayor gave in 1996 at Harvard University seeming to argue the complete opposite: "We're never ever going to be able to totally control immigration to a country that is as large as ours."

"We're going to have 400,000, 450,000, maybe more, illegal and undocumented, living in the city of New York, and there's absolutely nothing I can do about it," the New York Republican added in the 1996 speech.

Giuliani's chief GOP rival Mitt Romney has criticized the former mayor on the issue, saying that he supported illegal immigration while overseeing New York City. Giuliani has repeatedly denied the charge.

Kevin Madden, a spokesman for Romney's campaign, called Giuliani's technology explanation, "nonsensical."

"Technology like night vision scopes and motion sensors all existed back in 1996," he told CNN. "And, before anyone goes looking for new excuses, electricity, telephones and even the wheel existed back in 1996, too.”

In New Hampshire on Thursday, Giuliani continued to defend his record on the issue as New York's mayor, saying "I took a city that had just about the highest illegality rates in the country and took it down to one of the lowest."

He added that if Romney's campaign continues to attack his immigration record, it will "backfire" on them.

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

McCain campaigned in Iowa Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Wednesday that the issue of illegal immigration angered people unlike no other, including the unpopular war in Iraq, and sparked unprecedented death threats against him.

"It is unbelievable how this has inflamed the passions of the American people," the Arizona senator said in remarks at The Aspen Institute, a public policy forum. In an interview, he declined to elaborate on the threats he had received.

Still, McCain said, he continued to support a temporary worker program for the 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. Derided by critics as amnesty, the program was one of the most controversial elements of the failed immigration bill supported by President Bush and a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House and Senate.

McCain acknowledged that the immigration issue, along with his support for the war in Iraq, had cost him politically. (Watch McCain try to discuss Iraq while competing with the Iowa State Fair)

"Look, I've got to do what I know is right for this country. These issues I have to take head-on," he said.

McCain said the United States is making progress in Iraq, and he recommended that the U.S. take a hard line against Iran. He said an alternative is needed to the United Nations, where Iran's supporters have blocked sanctions, and that the U.S. should set up another coalition with democratic nations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin should be barred from the next meeting of the G-8, the coalition of western leaders who meet to discuss world issues, McCain said. Putin wants to reunite the former Soviet Union and has surrounded himself with former members of the Soviet spy agency, the KGB, to crack down on opponents, he said.

McCain said the G-8 was founded on fundamental economic and democratic principles and that Russia no longer meets the qualifications for G-8 membership.

"We have to make it clear to Putin that this kind of behavior makes him, in many ways, a pariah. The next year when they're meeting, stay home, Vlad," he said.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, co-sponsored a new border enforcement bill that does not include a way for illegal immigrants to gain legal status but remains committed to comprehensive immigration reform.

The new bill focuses on border security, enforcement, and penalties for illegal immigrants but makes no mention of creating a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States, a provision McCain said was essential during the debate of an immigration reform measure in the Senate this summer.

Although the new bill's lack of a "legalization" measure, Sen. McCain’s press secretary, Melissa Shuffield, said he is “still dedicated to comprehensive immigration reform.”

“Nothing has changed,” said Shuffield, referring to McCain’s position on immigration reform.

When asked if McCain still supports creating a way for illegal immigrants to gain legal status, Shuffield said the Senator “has not changed his position.”

In a press release Sen. McCain said, “this bill highlights the steps that need to be taken to ensure the integrity of our national security and immigration system, and would provide an essential step toward achieving comprehensive reform in the future.”

–CNN Political Researcher Xuan Thai

Romney re-released an ad focusing on illegal immigration.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Less than two weeks before Iowa's straw poll, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has re-released an ad focusing on the contentious issue of illegal immigration.

"People who are here illegally are going to have to get in line with everyone else, with no special pathways to become a citizen," Romney says in the ad. "Legal immigration is great, but illegal immigration, that we've got to end."

In the ad, Romney criticizes employers that hire illegal immigrants, and calls for a federal database that lists the names of legal workers.

The ad, which originally aired in a longer format in May, has been trimmed down to 30 seconds. It hit Iowa's airwaves on Tuesday.

–CNN Associate Producer Lauren Kornreich

Romney addressed Hispanic voters on Sunday

(CNN)–Addressing Hispanic voters on Sunday, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney said the importance of immigration was lost in recent debate. "I know this debate about immigration law has been very much misused and mischaracterized by a lot of people. I think it's very important that we as a party communicate how much we value immigration," the GOP presidential hopeful said.

Calling Hispanics "quintessentially American", Romney said it was important to remember their contribution to American society when discussing immigration reform. "That we value the willingness of people and the desire of people to come here," he said, "particularly those of Hispanic origin have very much the values that have formed the fundamental culture of America."

Romney spoke at the Republican National Hispanic Assembly's annual convention in Washington, D.C. Later in the day he was planning to campaign in New Hampshire

– CNN Political Desk Editor Jamie Crawford

WASHINGTON (CNN)–Congressman James Clyburn (D – South Carolina) put the blame on President Bush for the failed immigration. Today on CNN’s Late Edition, the Majority Whip said, “it failed because the president failed. I have been a part of those meetings with the president since back in January. In every meeting, the president made it very clear to us that immigration reform was one of his top priorities. He indicated to us that he was prepared to bring at least half of the Republicans in the Senate along and about 75 Republicans in the House. He failed. And the obstructionists won.”

Congressman Peter King (R – New York) thought the bill was not what the American people wanted: “The reason it died is because the American people spoke out. And the president did try to deliver, but he couldn't because certainly the Republicans were independent and did not want this bill. I've never seen more of a disconnect between the American people and the electoral elite and media elite than on this issue.”

– CNN Associate Producer Jennifer Burch

WASHINGTON (CNN)–Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff defended his agency’s progress on border security this morning against attacks from Republican presidential candidate Duncan Hunter. On CNN’s Late Edition, Chertoff said, “fencing has a symbolic value, and it has usefulness in some parts of the border. And we're going to use it where it is effective. But the idea that you are going to solve the problem simply by building a fence is undercut by the fact that yesterday we discovered a tunnel. So the idea that fencing alone is a solution I think is overly simplistic.”

In an appearance two weeks ago on Late Edition, Congressman Hunter (R – California) took on Chertoff, saying, “If you're going to have more border enforcement, why do you cut the border fence in half and leave New Mexico and Texas wide open for people to come in?” Hunter added, “Mr. Chertoff is charged with securing the border. And the one thing he's not doing - he's appearing on lots of talk shows, he is not securing the border.”

– CNN Associate Producer Jennifer Burch

(CNN)–Too many congressional Republicans have stood in the way of legislative progress Senator Harry Reid said Saturday.

"The immigration vote we had this week was just the latest example," the Nevada senator said in the weekly Democratic radio address. "With that bill, we had a rare chance to make progress on one of the country's top problems. The overwhelming majority of Democrats voted to move forward on a bill even President Bush supported, but just a handful of Republicans joined us."

Reid was also critical of Republicans regarding legislation currently pending in the Senate. "The ethics reform bill passed by a vote of 96-2, but now Republicans are blocking it. The 9/11 commission bill passed with heavy Republican support, but they are also blocking this critical legislation."

In his remarks, Reid said putting partisan politics aside was the best way forward. "This can start next week with the Defense Authorization Bill, which is a new opportunity to change course in Iraq." The bill is expected to include measures that would seek to hasten a pull out of U.S. troops from Iraq. "While a growing number of Republicans are saying the right things on Iraq, we'll soon find out if they have the courage to vote the right way also."

– CNN Political Desk Editor Jamie Crawford

Brownback defended his immigration vote switch Friday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, is defending his last-minute switch against the immigration bill Thursday, a change he made after it became clear the measure was doomed.

In an interview with CNN Radio Friday, the presidential hopeful claimed he was trying to send two messages at once.

"I wanted to send a clear signal that I am for comprehensive immigration reform but now is not the time, this is not the vehicle,” Brownback said.

The Kansas Republican initially voted in favor of cloture, or keeping the bill alive, during the pivotal Thursday roll call. But 15 minutes after he cast that vote, a flurry of opposition crystallized into 45 fatal votes against the bill and it became clear the bill was going to die. At that point, Brownback changed position.

The cloture vote ultimately would fail 46-53, 14 votes short of the 60 it needed to survive. Brownback is among 18 Senators who voted for cloture on one aspect of the bill Tuesday, but then voted against it Thursday.

He is the only senator known to change votes during the roll call.

When pressed, Brownback again insisted the fast change was a conscience message about immigration policy change.

"This vehicle’s not the right vehicle to do it, that’s why I did it that way," he said.

– CNN Radio's Dick Uliano and Lisa Goddard contributed to this report

(CNN) – Fred Thompson doesn’t mind if you call him lazy, as long as you call him successful.

During the Tennessee Republican's first visit to New Hampshire as a likely, if still undeclared, presidential candidate Thursday, he was asked about reports questioning his work ethic. The former senator told reporters, “That’s what they said about me before I ran the first time. Then, two years later, that’s what they said about me again. I won, I think, by 20 points the first time and by 21 points the second time. If you can do that while being lazy, I want to recommend it to everyone.”

Thompson put in a full day during his visit to Manchester including a stop at a gun store and a speech at a fundraising dinner. He may be new to New Hampshire politics, but knew very well two must-stops. He greeted diners at the Merrimack Restaurant downtown and met with the powerful publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader.

– CNN Political Desk Managing Editor Steve Brusk

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Senators running for re-election next year kept their distance from the immigration reform bill. They voted 23 to 9 against it. Which means only 28 percent voted yes. Among all senators, the vote was 53 to 46 against the bill, or 46 percent yes. (Read how your senators voted)

O.K., but most senators running for re-election next year are Republicans. And Republican senators overall voted three to one against the immigration bill (37 no, 12 yes). But Republicans senators running for re-election voted six to one against it (18 no, 3 yes).

Among all Democratic senators, the vote was better than two to one in favor of the bill (33 yes, 15 no). But Democratic senators running for re-election were closely split – 6 voted yes, five no.

Conclusion: voting yes for "amnesty," as opponents of the bill dubbed it, and then having to face the voters next year was a frightening prospect for many senators.

– CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider

McCain said he is disappointed the Senate immigration bill failed.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sen. John McCain, who has taken considerable heat from many conservatives over his role in drafting the Senate immigration bill, said Thursday he is "disappointed" with the bill's failure.

"I am disappointed that the Senate was unable to conclude its debate on comprehensive immigration reform," the GOP presidential hopeful said in a statement. "However, the American people will not settle for the status quo – de facto amnesty and broken borders."

“I am hopeful that we will have another chance to address this critical national security issue that affects people throughout our country," he added. "In the meantime, we must keep working to secure our borders while we continue fighting to reform our unenforceable immigration laws."

Watch Bush say he is disappointed with the Senate vote on Immigration Thursday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - On the day of the immigration vote, phone lines in the Senate crashed due to an "increased volume" of calls, the Sergeant-at-Arms confirmed to CNN.

Sen. Johnny Isaakson, R-Georgia, told CNN's Andrea Koppel that he was not able to make calls on Thursday morning because the phone lines were down. He said the phones also didn't work for 20 minutes on Wednesday for the same reason.

According to an e-mail from the Sergeant-at-Arms' office sent at 8:45 a.m., the phones lines were "experiencing problems, including misdirected calls, phones not operating, lack of a dial-tone, and inability to reach voice mail."