In the last 15 years, California, Arizona, and Massachusetts have all replaced bilingual education with English immersion programs as a way to address the achievement gap between native and non-native speakers. Statistics show that only 11 percent of California’s English learners reached proficiency last year. How to teach new immigrants English has become an increasingly divisive debate in classrooms across the country with politicians like Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich chiming in to show their support of English immersion programs.

This morning The Takeaway is exploring the importance of the Florida Primary from the perspective of the diversity of a state that has been decisive in presidential elections going back two decades. The diversity of Florida may be the first real test of the strength of the Republican message nationally whoever wins the primary.

The Republican candidates kicked off their Florida campaigns at last night's debate in Tampa. Florida is the first Republican presidential battleground with a significant Latino population, and as Mitt Romney battles Newt Gingrich for the lead in the Sunshine State, Latinos across the country are taking note. How the candidates position themselves on immigration and court the highly influential Cuban-American vote remains to be seen.

According to recent Census data, the Latino community has seen huge growth in the U.S. They're becoming a group that politicians are increasingly trying to win over. A large part of that process is just about getting Latino voters to polls. But once they're at the ballot box, what are Latino voters looking for in a candidate?

Traditionally thought of as a Republican stronghold that most past Democratic candidates haven't even bothered with, the Obama campaign is actively courting Arizonans for 2012. The campaign has opened offices in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff and recruited a Latino candidate for Senate. The state's booming Latino population, combined with the state legislature's crackdown on illegal immigration, has opened the possibility for a bluer Arizona.

Since Alabama introduced the nation's toughest anti-illegal immigration law, "unintended consequences" has mace life more difficult not only for undocumented immigrants, but also to documented, legal residents of the state. The new law, known as HB 56, has made every day activities like renewing a driver's license, teaching in public schools, or even helping an illegal immigrant with charity difficult or potentially criminal activities.

The latest Census data reports that nearly 46.2 million Americans, about 1 in 15, are living in poverty. According to a new Pew poll, the face of American poverty has shifted dramatically. For the first time in U.S. history, the percent of Hispanics living in poverty outpaces African Americans with 28.2 percent of Latinos under the poverty line compared to 25.4 percent of blacks. In fact, Latinos overall were hit the hardest by the Great Recession which technically ended in 2009.

Immigration was a hot topic at the GOP debate on Tuesday. First, Texas Governor Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney attacked each other on the issue. Representative Michele Bachmann also jumped into the fray to attack President Obama. "I think the person who really has a problem with illegal immigration in the country is President Obama," she said. "It’s his uncle and his aunt who are illegal aliens who’ve been allowed to stay in this country despite the fact they're illegal." 

President Obama's approval ratings are at an all-time low. August's Gallup poll numbers showed that only 41 percent of American adults approve of the way Obama is currently handling his job. Some of the largest declines in approval come from African-American and Hispanic voters — groups that formerly voted for Obama. On Monday, The Takeaway discussed Obama’s increasing problem, which could stem from his positions on immigration reform with Gustavo Arellano, author of the syndicated column "Ask a Mexican."

Yesterday, the House of Representatives narrowly passed the Dream Act, which would allow certain illegal immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as minors a chance to become U.S. citizens, if they enter college or military service. Those eligible are people who were brought into the U.S. before they were 16, have been living here for at least five years, and have earned a high school diploma. In order to gain citizenship, they would have to join the military for two years, or attend a four year college for two years.

With less than a month until Election Day, Democrats are hoping to keep control of both the House and Senate while trying to appeal to their core constituencies. Just two years ago, President Obama brought the Democrats back to the White House with the help of Latino voters. Democrats will surely need those votes if they hope to keep their majorities in Congress, but it is not clear that the Latino votes will come through in the mid-terms.  A new poll from the Pew Hispanic Center reports that only 51 percent of Latino registered voters say they are "absolutely certain to vote," this season, compared to 70 percent of all registered voters who say they'll go to the polls.

Why is it looking like so many Latinos will skip voting November 2?

Federal Judge Susan Bolton issued a blow to Arizona's controversial immigration law Wednesday, blocking key parts of the law, including the provision that requires immigrants to carry their papers with them at all times. We take a look at how long the injunction will stay in place and what Arizona's next legal move might be. And we ask what this means for other states that want to craft their own immigration policies. 

A new AP-Univision poll says more than eight out of ten Latinos in America believe the most important goal for high school graduates is to continue their educations.  94 percent of the more than 1,500 Latinos polled said they expect their children to go to college.

An anonymous group in Utah sent a list of 1,300 names to immigration offices and media outlets yesterday. It included detailed information, including Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses, and even names of children and family members. Almost all of the people on the list are Latinos. The group also penned a letter, demanding that the undocumented persons on the list be deported immediately. State officials say they are investigating how the information was leaked - but Latinos in Utah are scared.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to give a speech on comprehensive immigration reform at the American University School of International Service in Washington, D.C. today. This in the wake of Arizona's controversial immigration law, and the threat of other states passing their own immigration legislation. Valeria Fernandez, a reporter for Feet in Two Worlds — a project of the Center for New York City Affairs at The New School; and Maria Elena Salinas, an anchor at Univision, join us to talk about what they and the hispanic population hope the President will say in his speech.

Democrats unveiled a framework for immigration reform yesterday, just as cities across the country are bracing for big May Day protests by Immigrant advocacy groups. The groups are hoping to put pressure on Washington to speed up changes to current laws, which some say endanger families with members that have come to the U.S. illegally.

Yesterday, at several bus stations and other locations around Arizona, more than 800 law enforcement officials carried out the largest operation against human smuggling in ICE history. The targets were shuttle bus operations that allegedly carry illegal immigrants around the region and across the border. The tactic of targeting the networks of traffickers rather than carrying out workplace raids reveals a shift in strategy under Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano and President Obama from the policies of the Bush era.

A new demographic study from the University of New Hampshire finds that the demographic makeup of the U.S. is changing most rapidly among babies and young children, with 2010 on track to see more babies of color born than white babies. The study cites immigration, high fertility rates among recent immigrant communities (and comparatively lower fertility rates among non-Hispanic whites) and details the counties that have already become so-called "majority-minority" areas.

As the census approaches, a debate has begun to brew in Hispanic communities – to stand up and be counted, or not? We talk with two pastors who stand on opposite sides of the issue: Dr. Juan Martinez, who is mobilizing his community to participate, and Rev. Jose Lopez, who is mobilizing his community in boycott.

[Lou Dobbs' leaving CNN was kept secret until he made this announcement on-air]

This week, Lou Dobbs surprised the world by announcing that he would be leaving CNN. Known for his inflammatory views on immigrants, particularly those of Mexican descent, Dobbs was one of the founding anchors of CNN. So why leave the network? We explore that question with media analyst Johnnie Roberts, and OC Weekly staff writer Gustavo Arellano (who is also known for his nationally syndicated column “Ask a Mexican”).