“Since when did a pathway to citizenship become an extreme idea?” said Eliseo Medina, International Secretary-Treasurer of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in a press call today announcing the campaign launch.  “Here’s what’s extreme — to create a permanent underclass,” said Medina.  He was referring to the current debate within Congress on how to legalize the nation’s undocumented as part of a comprehensive immigration reform package.

RELATED: Pathway to citizenship a sticking point in immigration talks 

Some legislators, like Idaho Republican Congressman Raul Labrador, have said there should not be a pathway to citizenship for those who came in undocumented.  Labrador has said a better way to allow undocumented immigrants to live and work in the U.S. might be to “legalize” their status, but not offer citizenship.  The Idaho congressman also said insisting on citizenship for the undocumented might doom immigration talks, since some Republicans in the House would not vote for that.

The Obama administration as well as the Senate “Gang of Eight” are working on possible legislation favor a gradual path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.  There are different ideas, however, on how that should work.  This past weekend, Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who is part of the Gang of Eight, swiftly condemned a recently-leaked Obama Administration proposed plan which calls for allowing undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship after at least 8 years.  Rubio said the proposal was lacking and would be “dead on arrival,” though the White House assured it was a backup plan and the president was counting on bipartisan bills to come out of Congress.

RELATED:  White House immigration plan: 8 years before green cards for undocumented 

“Latinos did not go to the polls expecting that our abuelitas, our parents, our brothers and sisters and our co-workers would be relegated to second-class status,” said SEIU”s Medina.  ”We expect Congress to pas a bill that includes a fair, clear and direct path to citizenship.”

Today on the Alliance for Citizenship press call, National Council of La Raza (NCLR) president Janet Murguía said they were not interjecting specific timelines for citizenship.  The important thing, said Murguía, is that “the pathway has to be reasonable, not vague — and clear,” she said.

Among the group’s activities are a Spanish-language ad campaign, “El Poder,” which will be shown this week in different media markets.  Alliance for Citizenship will also hold events in Illinois, New York, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Florida, Texas and New Jersey, and go on a 19-state bus tour through California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Missouri, Colorado, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Colorado, Rhode Island, New York, Florida and North Carolina.  The group also plans faith events around Easter recess, a nationwide drive to get one million calls to Congress urging immigration reform, and a massive Immigration March on Washington on April 10th.

“Action must follow – we can’t allow immigration reform to get bogged down in an endless debate,” said the president, who later said that now that there is a bipartisan foundation, if Congress does not put forth a bill, “I will send my bill so they vote on it right away,” Obama said.

Saying that immigration was in this country’s “bones” and the differences regarding reform seem to be dwindling, Obama said “a broad consensus is emerging.”

The president’s speech did not get into specifics, and he seemed to purposely avoid presenting his plan as an alternative to the Senate bipartisan proposal, instead praising what the senators proposed and saying they were similar. Obama said the main elements of the legislation should be enforcement, a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers and updating the legal immigration system to allow more skilled workers and students to remain and work in the U.S.

Where the plans most differ, however, is that the Senate plan makes the gradual path to legalization and citizenship contingent on securing the  nation’s borders, something Obama does not do. Republican Senator Marco Rubio, one of the Senators who drafted the proposal, criticized Obama’s speech today for “his unwillingness to accept significant enforcement triggers before current undocumented immigrants can apply for a green card. Without such triggers in place,” said Rubio, “we will be back in just a few years dealing with millions of new undocumented people in our country.”

The Obama plan also allows same-sex couples the same rights to sponsor a partner for citizenship, as is the case with heterosexual couples.

Despite the differences in plans and the fact that more partisan differences will emerge in the coming days, Latino leaders in Nevada for the announcement today said recent developments bode well for those who advocate for reform.

“If you think that just 4 months back there was talk of self-deportation and Arizona being a model for the country — it’s incredible,” says Marielena Hincapié, Executive Director of the National Immigration Law Center (NILC).

“I’m really pleased the debate on immigration reform is on the merits of the plan, instead of demonizing immigrants like in the past,” says Eliseo Medina, Secretary-Treasurer of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

And in a clear indication that Republicans are trying to steer clear of rhetoric perceived as anti-Latino, the center-right  Hispanic Leadership Network, issued a memo called “Suggested Messaging Dos and Don’ts of Immigration Reform” for Republican legislators yesterday. “Don’t use phrases like ‘send them all back,’ ‘electric fence,’ build a wall along the entire border,’” says the memo, also asking legislators to avoid the term ‘anchor baby’ or ‘amnesty.’

Jennifer Korn, the Hispanic Leadership Network‘s Executive Director, says ”it’s unfair to paint the whole Republican party as anti-immigration because a handful of conservatives used harsh language  in the past.” She says she believes there is support for reform among Republican legislators in the House and Senate.

“We are in a different environment post election, and conservatives are more willing to come out publicly to support immigration reform,” she says.

So now that Senate leaders and the President are on board about passing legislation by the summer, the issue turns to the House, traditionally less supportive of reform. Some House leaders like Florida Republican Mario Díaz-Balart are taking the lead on reform. ”If you have a car that is not running, you fix it — and that’s what we need to do with immigration reform,” said Díaz-Balart on MSNBC today.

Not everyone, however, is on board.  ”There are people in the House who would not mind being the ones to torpedo an immigration bill,” says Latino Decisions political scientist Sylvia Manzano.  They are, however, getting pressure from party leaders, says Manzano, who adds that after the election, Republicans do not want to continue being perceived as coming into immigration reform “kicking and screaming.”

Former Commerce Secretary and Juntos con Romney co-chair Carlos Gutierrez criticized the president for presenting a “competing” plan to the Senate’s proposal and “drawing lines in the sand.”  Gutierrez, who formed Republican for Immigration Reform, does support reform.

Partisan differences aside, reform advocates say what is crucial is to get consensus on the need to pass legislation, and they say President Obama needs to apply pressure to seal the deal.

“If we are going to get reform it’s not going to be the White House in one lane and Congress on the other lane; it’s extremely important that Obama works with Congress and sits down with leadership and continues to help broker a deal,” says NILC’s Marielena Hincapié.  ”It’s also important to continue making the case with the American people,” she says.

“Immigration reform isn’t a Latino issue, it’s an American issue,” says Maria Teresa Kumar, from Voto Latino.

“We are confident that it will pass as a bipartisan bill,” stated Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rubén Hinojosa.

“We need to have the same compass, and the compass is a path to citizenship,” said labor leader Hector Figueroa, of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ, who then said “a vessel cannot move without the wind driving it – we want to create that wind,” urging communties to get involved in supporting reform through upcoming “Day of Actions” and the big rally in April.

Eighteen-year-old Veronica Saravía, from the organization CASA de Maryland, is a DREAMER who helped organize the effort in Maryland which led to voter approval of a “Dream Act” in the state.  She was at the press conference accompanied by her 10-year-old sister Diana.  ”I come from a typical family,” explained Saravía, one in which her little sister is a citizen, while she is a Dreamer who has applied for Deferred Action.  Her mother is an undocumented nanny, her father is on temporary status and her grandmother is a citizen.

“I hope to study psychology and nursing without the fear of being deported, and I want to see my mother retired happily without a struggle,” said Saravía.

Another group which came out in support was the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights organization, the NAACP.   “Four out of five African-Americans support pushing for comprehensive immigration reform,” said the NAACP’s president, Ben Jealous. ”This is an issue that black voters see as a basic humanitarian need; it does not improve for any workers for us to exploit any workers,” said Jealous, adding ” we in the black community understand what it’s like to be mistreated, and we understand the pain of migration.”

Chung-Wha Hong, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, says her group has been fighting for reform for 20 years, and they have one main concern: “I’m here to talk about families – the fear of being separated from their loved ones is the number one concern,” said Hong.  ”Why must we see any more children whose parents are taken away in the middle of the night in shackles?”

Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK, said the faith community understands this is not about a special interest group; “we all know immigrants who are suffering because of our broken system,” said Campbell, who is a Catholic nun. She said she was at a Safeway supermarket when she started talking to the young woman behind her, who said she was a Dreamer and was worried about what was going to happen.

“We the people know this is not working  - let’s make a change,” Campbell said.

“We have firmly believed that fixing the broken immigration system is not just a Latino or immigrant priority but a priority for the American people, and we wanted to test that theory,” said Eliseo Medina, Secretary/Treasurer of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) , one of the groups who commissioned the poll, along with the National Immigration Forum and America’s Voice, two organizations which support immigration reform.   “This poll exceeded all my expectations; I am amazed at the level of support,” Medina said.  The Latino labor leaders added the results clearly demonstrate that immigration reform is not the “third rail” for politicians but a net positive, as shown by the numbers of voters who supported Obama.  ”Voters are way ahead of Congress on this issue.”

Jeb Bush, Jr. the son of Florida Governor Jeb Bush and a member of the National Immigration Forum Board, said this poll should help give “political cover” for Republicans in Congress to rally behind reform. “Now is the time for leaders to take cues from the public.”

The poll found 77 percent of Americans, including  76 percent of conservative Republicans, would support a 4-point reform plan consisting of increased border security, employer verification, an earned pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and immigration levels based on worker needs.  Sixty four percent of those polled preferred to tackle border enforcement and a legal pathway for those who are here illegally at the same time, with only 31 percent say border security should come first.

“I think the pollsters went to great lengths to show the American public wants the issue of immigration resolved and off the table- it is not a Latino-specific issue,” says political scientist Sylvia Manzano.

The finding that almost nine out of 10 American favor a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who registering for legal status, learn English and pay taxes shows Americans are not “comfortable” with the idea of a permanent class of non-citizens, said the pollsters.  Strong support for earned citizenship could give a boost to Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio’s recent proposal, which includes a pathway for undocumented immigrants in which they would first earn a green card and then an eventual pathway to citizenship.

RELATED: Exclusive-Sen. Marco Rubio outlines his immigration reform plan

Many Republicans – even Senator Rubio in the past – have referred to a citizenship pathway for undocumented immigrants as “amnesty.”  Yet in this poll, 66 percent of Americans said immigration reform is about accountability – especially the part requiring payment of back taxes as a condition for legalization – and did not consider it amnesty.

Jeb Bush Jr. remarked today that these findings show Rubio’s proposal, which is also backed by other Republican leaders such as former vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, is a huge opportunity for the Senator to lead his party.  ”It can provide a cover of fire for some members of Congress,” said Bush, Jr.

The results of the poll come at a time of high expectations among many Latinos who had expressed immigration reform as one of the top priorities during the presidential campaign. The Obama Administration and Democratic leaders have said reform is at the top of the agenda, but the question has been whether there would be enough Republican support to get legislation passed.

America’s Voice Frank Sharry said he and other reform advocates would take these poll findings to Congress.

Manzano says though many in the Republican party leadership have a pretty good sense of the long-term trajectory for the party and the need to tackle reform, these findings make pretty clear to those legislators on the fence how Americans stand on the need to rebuild the current immigration system.

Although President Obama is about to be inaugurated for a second term, “some GOP legislators might be thinking 2016,” says Manzano. “And the candidate who gets to say, ‘I helped take the immigration issue off the table’ will be in a much better position.”

Latino voters went to the polls with the economy on their minds, “but immigration reform in their hearts,” said National Council of La Raza (NCLR) CEO and President Janet Murguia.  She said she was heartened by the increasing support of not just Democratic and Republican legislators, but business leaders as well as religious leaders.  ”There is an economic, religious and moral case for immigration reform,” said Murguia.

Maria Teresa Kumar, of Voto Latino, said “the fact we came out in record numbers in 2012 is personal,” she said.  ”That’s a calculation members of Congress don’t understand,” added Kumar.  Hector Sanchez, of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLLA), said in English and Spanish that “12 million undocumented workers in the richest nation is not a mistake, it’s public policy.”  Chris Espinosa, director of national advocacy at the Hispanic Federation,  said “we have secured our borders, now it’s time to get the other elements of immigration reform.”

The group announced they will continue mobilizing naturalized Latinos to become citizens and vote, while they hold constant meetings on Capitol Hill with both sides of the aisle.  The Latino leaders said that with 150 new House members, part of the process will be to engage these new legislators on the issue.

The Latino leaders announced they will create a ‘report card’ at the end of 2013 rating every legislator and his or her’s voting and issues stance on immigration reform.  ”The report card will be bipartisan, pass-fail, and we hope President Obama aces his test; we expect him to,” said labor leader Eliseo Medina, president of the Service International Employees Union (SEIU).    On how they will ‘rate’ the legislators, Medina said “we are absolutely clear that words are one thing, actions are another,” adding “November 6th was not the end of our activism, it was the beginning.”

Brent Wilkes, from the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) said the effort to put pressure on immigration reform will include letter writing, Hill visits,  petitions, and actions in members’ districts and home states.  Max Sevilla, of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), said a recent Politico/George Washington University poll found 62 percent of Americans support the right of immigrants here in the U.S. to pursue a path to citizenship.

RELATED: Immigration reform is coming, but in small steps

Some analysts and legislators have said they find it hard to believe Congress will pass immigration reform in the coming year. But NCLR’s Janet Murguia said she sees a “real window of opportunity in 2013 – before Congress recesses in August of next year,” she said.  Murguia also said she was heartened by the fact that some Democrats and Republicans are stressing the importance of  making citizenship a key part of the reform. “It was encouraging to hear from a Hispanic Republican like Mario Diaz-Balart, who says he doesn’t believe anything less than citizenship is something he can support,” she says.

RELATED: Many proposals, but will they lead to immigration reform?

In the meantime, the group says the mobilization that succeeded in making the Latino vote a crucial voting block will do the same in pushing for immigration reform.

“We have proven we can do a great job,” said Ben Monterroso, from Mi Familia Vota.

“Last night Latinos confirmed unequivocally that the road to the White House goes through Hispanic neighborhoods,” said Clarissa Martinez De Castro, from the National Council of La Raza (NCLR).  ”The Latino giant is wide awake, cranky and is taking names,” said labor leader Eliseo Medina, of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Yesterday’s Latino vote made history in two ways.  Over 12 million Latinos came out to vote, according to preliminary numbers, and for all the handwringing about whether Latinos would have the enthusiasm or numbers to vote, this is a 22 percent increase from 2008.  Just over 10 percent of the nation’s voters were Hispanic.

Moreover, President Obama received 75 percent of the Latino vote, according to impreMedia/Latino Decisions exit polls, thus obtaining the highest number of Latino voters; President Clinton received about 72 percent in 1996.

These numbers translated to a “watershed moment,” in the words of Latino Decisions co-principal and Stanford University political scientist Gary Segura.  For the first time in history, Segura explained, the Latino vote can plausibly claim to be nationally decisive in the presidential election.   Latinos gave a 5.3 percent bump to President Obama, according to Latino Decisions’ numbers.  This was crucial in battleground states with close margins between Obama and Romney.

Had Latinos been more evenly divided, those states like Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, and Nevada might have flipped to Romney, Segura explained.   Not only did Latinos play a crucial role in sending Obama back to the White House, but they also were a decisive factor in key Senate races.   In New Mexico, Democrat Martin Heinrich joins Colorado’s Michael Bennet and Nevada’s Harry Reid “to directly owing his seat to the Latino vote,” said Segura, since almost 40 percent of the turnout were Latino voters.

So how does this historic Latino vote impact the policies and legislation coming out of the White House and Congress?  Latinos point out Obama’s victory is clearly a result of Latino voter support on key issues and policies.

President Obama won Latino support ‘the old-fashioned way,’ said SEIU’s Eliseo Medina – by supporting immigration reform, health care legislation and education initiatives, which resonated with Latino voters, according to the latest impreMedia/Latino Decisions poll.  Sixty six percent of registered Hispanic voters believe the federal government should ensure access to health care, and 61 percent support keeping the Affordable Care Act.  Only one out of four Latinos thought people should provide their own health insurance.  On how to reduce the deficit, more than four out of ten Hispanics believe you need a combination of spending cuts and tax increases; only 12 percent of Latinos advocate spending cuts without higher taxes.

Immigration was second to the economy as a top issue for Latino voters.  Recently Rudy Lopez, national political director of the Campaign for Community Change, who worked with grassroots groups who registered hundreds of thousands of new Latino voters, said immigration reform was the “connective tissue”which galvanized many Latino voters.

Today, Latino leaders minced no words.   “For Latinos, 60 percent of whom know someone who is undocumented, this is personal – we are ready for solutions,” says NCLR’s Clarissa Martinez De Castro, who added “the current environment is ripe for reform.”

Just like yesterday’s vote was a clear endorsement of Democratic policy stances, many say it is a time for Republicans to reassess their message and their tones to the growing Hispanic electorate.

On Hispanics’ clear repudiation of Republican stances on immigration issues, political scientist Gary Segura said it pretty clearly.  ”Republicans need to make this go away – or it will be a persistent electoral Gollum for them.” In fact, Segura says, their numbers show Mitt Romney forfeited just under 2 percent of the popular vote,  when one compares polls of Latinos’ strong disapproval of Romney’s immigration views and the lower number of votes he received from Hispanics, especially compared to other Republican presidents like George W. Bush.

“In my opinion, there is a big, flashing warning sign for Republicans that they are headed for a cliff,” says SEIU’s Medina. “If Republicans want to be a viable party, they need to do right with Latinos,” he said.

In the end, though, legislation requires action from both parties.  Here, leaders are banking on the possibility that Latinos’ increasing political clout helps propel lawmakers to roll up their sleeves.

“Latino voters are a permanent part of the political equation,” said NCLR’s Martinez De Castro.  She said she is hoping Latinos’ desire for common sense legislation helps “rebuild the political space” to provide solutions,  in what has been a pretty divisive time in Washington.