Yeah ... that's the GOP "leader" on immigration reform.
From the
Miami Herald:
President Barack Obama's three draft immigration reform bills, obtained by the Miami Herald, closely resemble many of the reforms advanced by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Some key points of Obama's plan:
• Pathways to residency for those students and soldiers who were brought here illegally as children.
• "Alien" may not apply to become a lawful permanent resident for eight years or for "30 days after an immigrant visa has become available."
• Submit to criminal background checks, pay fines, back taxes and learn English.
• Must provide "biometric" information and should show an "understanding of the history and Government of the United States."
So why all the faux outrage from Rubio? More below the fold.
The fact is, when you put the bipartisan Senate outline that Rubio supports up against the president's proposal, the two things are nearly identical on all the major items. Therefore, Rubio's rhetoric about the Obama unproposed proposal being "dead on arrival" has more to do with Rubio's presidential ambitions than any real differences. Rubio is posturing by using the presidents proposal as an escape route to abandon immigration reform.
Everyone needs to understand this clearly: Marco Rubio supports a path to citizenship for those undocumented Americans. Or to put it terms conservatives can understand, Marco Rubio supports amnesty for illegals. There is nothing in the president's proposal that differs in any fundamental way from the Senate bipartisan proposal that Rubio is pushing.
That's all you need to know to put Rubio's and the Washington Republican establishment's faux outrage in proper context. Were Rubio honest and serious about doing the heavy lifting of bringing his party along on immigration reform, he'd be welcoming the president's proposal. He'd be speaking to conservative grassroots organizations in Kansas rather than the Washington GOP elites. But I truly believe Rubio has done his best to bring conservative Republicans along on immigration reform and they just aren't buying what he's selling. Now, he's looking for a way to turn tail and run and save face.