Marco Rubio, GOP leader on immigration
Strikingly, Mr. Rubio’s principles did not sound that different from proposals for an immigration overhaul by Mr. Obama, Democratic leaders and a handful of other Republicans. Aside from work under way at the White House on legislation, a bipartisan group of Senators has been meeting to draft a bill.
Where Mr. Rubio differed significantly with Democrats was on the legal pathway illegal immigrants would follow, with him proposing a long and indirect course before some of those immigrants could apply to become American citizens.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Rubio said a starting point for his plan was recognizing that the current immigration system was “burdensome, bureaucratic, difficult to navigate and sometimes it just doesn’t work.”
Mr. Rubio said he would seek to reorient the visa system to bring in more educated immigrants with skills in technology and science. As for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country, Mr. Rubio said, “We have to understand these folks are here to stay.” He added that most of them had not committed serious or violent crimes.
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Nah, border-crashing is on the same level as jaywalking.
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Bitter Clinger on January 15, 2013 at 10:33 AM
We don’t need Rubio’s amnesty plan, we need enforcement of existing laws. Rubio is no “leader” – he’s an opportunist who is willing to sacrifice America for a “win”.
Pork-Chop on January 15, 2013 at 10:38 AM
As distasteful as it is, it’s the truth.
Just run through the logistics of deporting 11 million or more people…sit down and calculate the amount of government expansion needed to do such a huge effort. It would be the largest displacement of people in the history of the world.
right2bright on January 15, 2013 at 10:38 AM
As long as it’s runs similar along the lines of what Reagan proposed, except with no “outs” for the dems to dismantle the program, it is the only logical solution.
right2bright on January 15, 2013 at 10:39 AM
BTW, the same argument regarding the Irish, Poles, Italians, a century ago…why they will ruin the country.
right2bright on January 15, 2013 at 10:41 AM
I sometimes dream that someday the Republicans we elect would value my vote as much as they do the vote of illegal aliens and put my interests on the same level as they do for Mexican border jumpers.
I won’t hold my breath however.
NeoKong on January 15, 2013 at 10:45 AM
Exactly. As you pointed out, the logistics alone are mindboggling. And imagine the PR fury! Unless we had soldiers in every news station and standing orders to take them off the air if they even mentioned the new law enforcement, we wouldn’t be able to deport a tenth of them before the attempt ground to a halt.
Not that I’d be at all sorry for the liberal ‘news’ stations, but under Obama and after Bush’s laws that would be a very bad precedent.
We don’t share a land border with any of those nations, and we don’t have a problem with millions of them arriving illegally. Also none of those people-groups were specifically coming over here to get on welfare.
MelonCollie on January 15, 2013 at 10:46 AM
Im afraid to say, their children did ruin the country look at the sorry state it is in. Ted Kennedy, Americas Greatest Traitor, caused alot of this with the 1965 immigration act
ChunkyLover on January 15, 2013 at 10:46 AM
I agree they’re here to stay. But they shouldn’t get an easy track to citizenship. They broke the law in coming here. True, most aren’t violent criminals, but those same folks shouldn’t be rewarded just because it was easier for them to walk across the border illegally instead of applying for citizenship the same way otehr immigrants who don’t share a border with us have to.
Bitter Clinger on January 15, 2013 at 10:47 AM
Because there weren’t 15-30 million illegal Irish/German/Polish immigrants a century ago that couldn’t speak English, and they didn’t immediately get giant welfare benefits at a time when the country was going through a massive depression?
Doomberg on January 15, 2013 at 10:49 AM
What? Laws are an antiquated idea foisted on us by a bunch of dead white guys back in the middle ages or the civil war era or something.
Bishop on January 15, 2013 at 10:53 AM
There is a big difference. All the others came in waves. They then had a generation of dealing with prejudice as they adjusted to melting into society. The second generation became Americans. The current situation is more like a tsunami in that they just keep coming. This allows them to not assimilate. A lot of the second generation think of themselves as Mexican or whichever country they come from first and American second.
Corsair on January 15, 2013 at 10:53 AM
terryannonline on January 15, 2013 at 10:55 AM
Umm.. Marco Rubio would really like to be President. Discuss amongst yourselves.
Illinidiva on January 15, 2013 at 10:56 AM
Also, many of those immigrants didnt think American citizenship was their birthright
ChunkyLover on January 15, 2013 at 10:57 AM
It isn’t just that Mexico is a neighbor; it’s arguably a hostile neighbor, whose elites believe we have no right to one quarter of our own country. I’m not claiming that most illegals themselves are fifth columnists, but we should be very careful about the message any immigration “solution” sends to irredentists and “post-nationalists” on both sides of the border.
Seth Halpern on January 15, 2013 at 11:01 AM
If these so-called conservatives give interviews to the NYT, why can’t they answer questions on conservative sites? He obviously thinks the NYT will be sympathetic to his plan and won’t challenge him on principle.
Buddahpundit on January 15, 2013 at 11:15 AM
LOL, the MSM picking out another easy mark for the GOP rubes.
ddrintn on January 15, 2013 at 11:20 AM
Funny, since we’re done it before.
National E-Verify, making knowingly hiring an illegal a felony, an Israeli-style border fence, and most will self deport in short order.
As for Mr. Rubio, he’s smart enough to know that amnesty will destroy this republic, making it a defacto one party state. He is no conservative, nor worthy of taking his views seriously.
Rebar on January 15, 2013 at 11:25 AM
We tried banning beer before too, that doesn’t mean we should try it again.
Now this might actually work. I’d go so far as to add that any illegal caught collecting welfare gets put on a chain gang at minimum wage until he/she pays it all back. Make that law and enforce it, and you’ll see a brown tidal wave heading south.
MelonCollie on January 15, 2013 at 11:31 AM
The Mexicans themselves have far stricter immigration laws, they manage to make those work.
Rebar on January 15, 2013 at 11:35 AM
Our failures are mostly due to lack of spine.
Mexico is a violent state half-run if not more by drug lords who commit atrocities on a daily basis. Nobody in their right mind WANTS to immigrate there.
MelonCollie on January 15, 2013 at 11:38 AM
I might add that although it’s been claimed that Mexico is turning into a nice middle class country with a lower birthrate and fewer potential emigrants, historically societies enjoying such prosperity have often simultaneously experienced a heady dose of xenophobic nationalism. So don’t count on Mexico’s being reliably cooperative. Whereas the caste-riven Mexico of Santa Anna’s day was comparatively indifferent toward the quarrels its strutting caudillos carried on with the big gringos to the north.
Seth Halpern on January 15, 2013 at 11:47 AM
Illegal Immigration Costs U.S. taxpayers in excess of $100 Billion a Year –
http://www.fairus.org/facts/facts3
Pork-Chop on January 15, 2013 at 11:56 AM
Good for Rubio. Hes being pragmatic and realistic. Everyone points to McCain and Romney regarding the lack of Hispanic support. But they conveniently forget GWB. Whats the secret? Social conservatism, and GWB advertised in their media more than his opponent. Immigration reform is inevitable, either Obama or our style. Pick your poison. Lol, lots of you would be against this post of mine. If you torpedo your own sides solution, don’t whine when O gets his deal through.
tommy71 on January 15, 2013 at 11:58 AM
Sure, lets add 20 million more democrat voters in one fell swoop, turn Texas blue, and make America a defacto one party state in perpetuity.
That’s what we need.
Rebar on January 15, 2013 at 12:03 PM
Funny, how many were deported? 11 million?
Use some realistic facts…how much do you think it would take to deport, find, hold, process, 11 million people?
A government bureaucracy like you have never seen before…that’s what you are requesting.
right2bright on January 15, 2013 at 12:31 PM
The Eisenhower administration managed it with a tenth of the border agents we got today.
Get serious about enforcement and border security, and 90% of illegals will self deport – this has been proved time and time again.
Rebar on January 15, 2013 at 12:36 PM
@Rebar You didn’t read my comment completely, did you? Your belief system took over. You think its just adding democratic voters? Fail. I mentioned in my original post bout GWB. Look it up.
tommy71 on January 15, 2013 at 1:00 PM
In the new tribal America, skin color and free stuff beats everything.
Giving the vote to 20 million socialist indoctrinated hispanic peasants will be the end of America, just as sure if we became another province of Mexico.
Rebar on January 15, 2013 at 1:05 PM
@Rebar Free stuff? Yeah, thats the prevalent attitude here. A myth. But you really don’t know Hispanic work ethic, do you? And regarding GWB, you fail again. I provide legitimate examples on how the pubs can win the hispanic vote, and the wingnuts provide suppositions and theories. Lol. I’m happy that there are a few visionary pubs.
tommy71 on January 15, 2013 at 1:14 PM
Yeah, just like all the black welfare queens. Oops, wait, those are real too and you’re just a coward.
Sneak across the border illegally, find minimum (or less)-wage work and get paid cash for it, grab every public benefit possible.
That’s their ‘work ethic’, liberal toad, and this is a generous description.
Translation: “I babble on about surrendering”
Translation: “everyone with a brain points out that I’m an idiot and I whine that they’re all wingnuts”
And by the by, stop using big words like “suppositions” and “theories”, because it’s painfully obvious you don’t know what they mean.
MelonCollie on January 15, 2013 at 1:27 PM
Ummm.. yeah. I’m glad that smarmy leftwing trolls are providing Republicans with electoral advice. Although frankly it must get in your craw that Rubio is getting so much press over this. In fact, Rubio would like to provide Barry with a fruit basket for spending all his time catering to his Upper East Side liberal supporters on issues like gun control and being a petulant bully to Republicans. It allows Rubio to talk to potential 2016 Latino voters all by himself.
Illinidiva on January 15, 2013 at 1:27 PM
If they have such a great work ethic, how come Mexico and the rest of latin America are such festering 3rd world crapholes?
Why are our prisons filled with them?
I’m all for packaging and presenting core conservative values to all ethnic group voters, and the GOP can do a much better job of that, but amnesty is simply suicidal.
Rebar on January 15, 2013 at 1:27 PM