At U.S. Conference of Mayors in Orlando, South Florida mayors pushed for immigration policy

Just days before President Barack Obama announced on Friday that his administration will halt deportations and grant work permits to young immigrants brought into the country illegally by their parents, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which is meeting in Orlando, put forth a resolution urging Obama to do just that.

One of the people pushing for the resolution: former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, who is in the conference as one of its past presidents.

Diaz said he became "obsessed" with the issue of undocumented students over the past few months in part after hearing the story of a Coral Gables Senior High School graduate from Honduras who took care of her siblings when her mother was stricken with cancer.

Mitt Romney on immigration: I agree with Marco Rubio

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney spoke briefly to reporters at a campaign stop in Milford, N.H., about the Obama administration's decision to halt deportations of young immigrants who are in the country illegally. Romney said he agreed with Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who noted the decision is merely a short-term fix.

"If I'm president, we'll do our very best to have that long-term solution," Romney said. "An executive order is, of course, just a short-term matter that can be reversed by subsequent presidents."

--DAVID LIGHTMAN, McClatchy Washington D.C. Bureau

Hands tied, ethics panel begs lawmakers for reform

The Florida Commission on Ethics will ask the Legislature for the authority to impose higher fines on public officials who flout the rules and the teeth to go after those that don't pay up.

The frustrated panel, which penalizes public officials who break ethics laws, is unable to collect about $100,000 in unpaid fines due to a law that prevents it from enforcing fines after four years.

Incoming Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, has publicly touted the need for ethics reform, sparking hope that next year's legislative session might yield stronger laws. 

Ethics reform is consistently shut down by lawmakers, some of whom owe fines and benefit from keeping conflict-of-interest laws weak.

Case in point: Commissioners expressed frustration that they can no longer go after Rep. Erik Fresen, a Miami Republican who still owes a $1,500 fine from 2004.

Marco Rubio on Obama immigration policy : 'welcome news' for kids but 'short term answer' ignores Congress and the Constitution

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio called President Barack Obama's executive order to stop deporting young illegal immigrants and allow them to apply for work permits "welcome news" but criticized the fact that the president took action by going around Congress.

Here's Rubio's statement in full:

“There is broad support for the idea that we should figure out a way to help kids who are undocumented through no fault of their own, but there is also broad consensus that it should be done in a way that does not encourage illegal immigration in the future. This is a difficult balance to strike, one that this new policy, imposed by executive order, will make harder to achieve in the long run. 

“Today’s announcement will be welcome news for many of these kids desperate for an answer, but it is a short term answer to a long term problem. And by once again ignoring the Constitution and going around Congress, this short term policy will make it harder to find a balanced and responsible long term one.”

Thrasher drops Senate prez bid, endorses Negron

In another sign this election season could decide the fate of the 2016 Senate presidency fight, Sen. John Thasher today withdrew his bid to be the Republican's choice for the top job and endorsed Sen. Joe Negron.

The decision ends the three-way fight that had included Thrasher, Negron and Sen. Jack Latvala of St. Petersburg. It was reported first by Matt Dixon of the Florida Times-Union and Peter Schorsch, who works for Latvala. Thrasher had initially challenged Sen. Andy Gardiner for the 2014 presidency earlier this year, when he and Negron believed Gardiner didn't have the votes. Then, when Latvala coalesced senators to revive Gardiner's presidency, Thrasher withdrew but, as we reported then, vowed to return in 2016.

Now, the question remains whether Thrasher's supporters, many of whom are candidates for open Senate seats, will win and if they win will they shift their endorsement to Negron.

"This election cycle will be very important to both candidates,'' Negron said Friday, speaking from Washington, D.C. where he is working on Medicaid, education and other Senate budget-related issues on behalf of Senate President Mike Haridopolos.

“The leadership race isn’t really aobut any particular individual. It’s about creating a platform where every senator can have his or her ideas considered and fully heard,'' Negron said. "It's about having a pro growth pro business agenda for Florida in the state Senate. I’m very pleased to have speaker Thrasher’s support."

 

Obama administration to stop deporting DREAM Act-eligible illegal immigrants

In yet another sign that Hispanics are key in presidential politics, President Barack Obama's administration will reportedly announce Friday that it will stop deporting and grant work permits to nearly 1 million immigrants who entered or remained in the United States illegally as children and would be eligible for the DREAM Act, which is stalled in Congress amid election-year gridlock and competing proposals. (Read recent stories on ideas put forth by Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Rep. David Rivera, both Miami Republicans, here, here and here.)

From the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives. The election-year initiative addresses a top priority of an influential Latino electorate that has been vocal in its opposition to administration deportation policies. 

The policy change, described to The Associated Press by two senior administration officials, will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants who have lived in fear of deportation. It also bypasses Congress and partially achieves the goals of the so-called DREAM Act, a long-sought but never enacted plan to establish a path toward citizenship for young people who came to the United States illegally but who have attended college or served in the military. 

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was to announce the new policy Friday, one week before President Barack Obama plans to address the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials' annual conference in Florida. Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney is scheduled to speak to the group on Thursday.