Sen. Marco Rubio says the immigration bill he helped push through the Senate would not have stopped the surge of children crossing the southwestern border illegally, breaking with his “Gang of Eight” co-authors who are urging the bill’s passage.

“I don’t think the immigration bill that was proposed in the Senate would have prevented that from happening,” the Florida Republican told The Washington Times. “What I think would have prevented that from happening is sufficient border security on the ground that would have discouraged people from making that journey in the first place.”