Los Angeles Times:
By Maeve Reston
May 2, 2014
After
the Florida House on Friday gave final approval to a bill granting
in-state tuition to the children of some immigrants in the country
illegally, former Florida Gov.
Jeb Bush used the occasion to criticize Washington lawmakers —
including members of his own party — for inaction on immigration reform.
“Florida
succeeded in doing what the federal government has failed to do — take
real steps to address our nation's serious immigration challenges,” Bush
said in a statement
after the final vote.
Bush’s
comments were in keeping with his outspokenness on immigration as he
mulls a 2016 presidential run — testing his ability to win over the
conservative elements of
his party who dominate the early state primary and caucus contests.
Similar
legislation has faltered in the Florida Legislature for years. So Bush
joined other leaders in making a push to advance the
Republican-sponsored bill when it became
hung up due to opposition by some Senate leaders.
The
bill had strong bipartisan support — including from Gov. Rick Scott and
his Democratic opponent, Charlie Crist. And it has been cited by some
Republican leaders nationally
as a bright spot for the GOP as they try to make inroads with Latino
voters, who favored President Obama over Mitt Romney 71% to 27% in the
2012 election.
Once
Scott signs the measure into law, Florida students will be able to pay
in-state tuition rates regardless of their immigration status, as long
as they have attended
a Florida high school for three years and enroll within two years of
graduation. They will now simply have to provide their high school
transcript, rather than proof of a parent’s residency, a requirement
which had been impossible for some families in the
country illegally.
In
his statement, Bush said the change was "the right thing to do” and
would help Florida capitalize on its talent, “making our future
workforce more globally competitive
than ever.”
Though
the U.S. Senate passed a sweeping immigration reform bill last year,
the legislation has stalled in the U.S. House because of resistance from
some lawmakers. The
White House has kept the pressure on, and Speaker John A. Boehner
recently drew heat for mocking fellow lawmakers who have complained that
the politics of the immigration overhaul were “too hard.”
If
Bush decides to run for president in 2016, his advocacy for immigration
reform and his tone on the issue could become one of his biggest
hurdles with conservative Republican
voters. In his book published last year, “Immigration Wars,” Bush
advocated for “a path to permanent legal resident status” for the
millions of immigrants in this country illegally — but not citizenship.
Democrats pounced, noting that the former Florida governor
had in previous interviews expressed himself open to a path to citizenship.
During
a March 2013 interview with CNN after the book was published, Bush
suggested his position was flexible: “I have supported both — both a
path to legalization or
a path to citizenship — with the underlying principle being that there
should be no incentive for people to come illegally at the expense of
coming legally,” he said. “Today, basically, the only path to come to
this country, other than family reunification,
is to come illegally.”
Last
month in Texas — in comments that would likely be front-and-center in
early primary contests in 2016 — Bush urged Republicans to move beyond
the “harsh rhetoric”
on immigration, and noted that often those crossing the border
illegally are dads “worried their children didn’t have food on the
table.”
“Yes,
they broke the law, but it’s not a felony,” Bush said during an event
at the George H.W. Bush Library and Museum in Texas. “It’s an act of
love, an act of commitment
to your family. I honestly think that is a different kind of crime.”
Before
making those remarks, Bush signaled that he was well aware of how much
attention they would garner — and the fact that they could come back to
haunt him: “I’m going
to say this and its going to be on tape, and so be it,” he quipped.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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