Latinos Hold Trump in Obama's Nev. Strategy

Says Gingrich attack 'unbecoming of a presidential candidate'

(NEWSER) - Immigration took center stage today as Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich fought for votes among Latinos in Florida:

• Romney criticized Gingrich for calling him "anti-immigrant," calling it "very sad for a candidate to resort to that sort of epithet," reports ABC . At a Univision forum, he added: "I’m not anti-immigrant, I’m pro-immigrant. I like immigration. Immigration has been an extraordinary source of strength in this country."
• Gingrich pulled a Spanish-language ad using the phrase against Romney after Sen. Marco Rubio criticized it as "inflammatory," notes the Miami Herald .
• Even though his father was born in Mexico, Romney said he didn't really consider himself a Mexican-American. “I don’t think people would think I was being honest with them if I said I was Mexican-American,” he said, joking that he would "love to be able to convince people of that, particularly in a Florida primary.”
• A new CNN/Time poll has the two candidates in a statistical dead heat in the state, with Romney at 36% and Gingrich at 34%. Behind them are Rick Santorum (11%) and Ron Paul (9%). More at CNN .

Proposal wouldn't require Congress' OK

(NEWSER) - President Obama will today propose a change in immigration rules: Under the suggested regulation, undocumented immigrants wouldn't have to leave the country while they apply for green cards. Current regulations can split families during the lengthy application process: Illegals who leave are subject to a ban from returning lasting up to 10 years, the Los Angeles Times reports. Though undocumented immigrants can seek exemptions from the rule, to do so they must apply outside the country, and even then they may have to wait years. More»

It's the first presidential visit in 50 years

(NEWSER) - President Obama visited Puerto Rico today, becoming the first sitting president since JFK to do so. “When I ran for president, I promised to include Puerto Rico not just on my itinerary, but also in my vision of where our country needs to go. And I am proud to say that we've kept that promise,” he said in a speech that noted Puerto Rico’s contributions to “the American story.” The trip signals Obama’s push for the Latino vote in 2012, the Los Angeles Times notes. More»

It's designed to stop a Mexican-American history course

(NEWSER) - An Arizona law banning Mexican-American studies takes effect at midnight, opening a new front in the state's immigration wars. Among other things, the law bans courses designed for students of any particular ethnic group—even if they are open to all students. The state schools chief wrote it in response to complaints about a program in the Tucson district that teaches Mexican-American history, reports the Christian Science Monitor . Critics see it as yet another attack on the state's Latino population. More»

Ballot measure may not have enough support for 2012

(NEWSER) - In California, where Latinos comprise the fastest-growing portion of the electorate, some Republicans want their own version of Arizona’s controversial immigration law —but others disagree, and the party rift is threatening the measure’s chances of getting on the 2012 ballot. "It's completely counterproductive to the future of the party as well as counterproductive to the immigration debate and coming to a real solution," one GOP strategist tells the Los Angeles Times . More»