Newly elected Latinos spar over immigration

Newly elected Latino House members sparred over President Obama’s plan for immigration reform in a Sunday morning appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” demonstrating the tough path that lies ahead for the legislation.

“We do think there should be executive action,” Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego said in the interview.

“In the meantime, there’s a lot of our families who are getting deported,” said Gallego, whose mother is Colombian and father is Mexican.

But Carlos Curbelo, a Florida Republican, warned that Obama should “be patient” on immigration reform.

“To rush into executive action and put at risk the possibility of getting immigration reform done, when Senate Republicans have already shown a willingness to do it, I think it would be a major mistake,” Curbelo, whose parents are Cuban, said.

Obama said last week that he planned to take executive action to overhaul the nation’s immigration system. The issue was one of his top legislative priorities upon taking office in 2008, but it is one that has gone largely untouched due to partisan gridlock.

Immigration is again entering the spotlight in a Congress that will include the largest class of Latinos.