Rubio talks about his dream

Rubio is determined despite naysayers to come up with a Republican version of the Dream Act. While pundits and lawmakers are already racing to embrace or reject it, Rubio told Right Turn in a phone conversation Friday afternoon that there is a lot yet to be determined before he introduces any legislation.

Rubio says to lawmakers and the public: “Don’t approach it as a legalistic matter.” The legal status of this subset of the illegal-immigration population, he suggests, is “akin to refugees. Their plight is not their doing.” He explains, “A non-immigrant visa allows you to get a driver’s license, to pay taxes, to go to college.


Under Rubio’s plan a nonimmigrant visa would be of limited duration and apply only to children brought here under a certain age(Are they going to keep the 15 and under age?) who have been living continuously in the United States, graduated high school and are going to college. It would apply only to past cases (there is no open door to provide incentives to parents to bring children here illegally in the future), and it would exclude those with criminal records

In talking to Rubio it’s clear this is a work in progress with much left to be determined. There is, as yet, no firm estimate of the number of people who this would affect. Among the details to be determined are the age cut-off for people who entered the country and the time period covered by the bill (up to the present day?). Also unclear is how to address the small group that is in the military; Rubio says, “We’re open-minded on that. Right now by executive order you can award citizenship.”

News accounts have portrayed Rubio’s fellow Republicans as signing on or nixing the idea. In fact, that isn’t what has been going on. On the Hill, Rubio says, “They’ve been generally supportive. No one is saying to stop what I’m doing.” No presidential candidate is going to sign onto something that is admittedly not concrete. But Rubio seemed pleased with the reaction from the Romney camp. “I’ve updated them on the concept. They are waiting for details,” he tells me

Rubio says that his time frame for introducing a specific piece of legislation is “certainly not indefinite.” But it’s also clear Rubio doesn’t intend do this in a slap-dash manner. He says that “we don’t want to have more questions than answers when we put something out.

A Rubio Dream Act would shake up the politics of immigration. Those who have been disappointed by the Obama administration's failure to deliver anything but rhetoric and a flimsy lawsuit against Arizona may welcome a bill that makes small but important progress. The White House will have its hands full trying to keep pro-immigration reform activists from jumping ship.

If Rubio is successful he may give Romney and his party their own pathway — this one into the Hispanic community. If electoral politics are about moving the needle in your direction, Rubio’s Dream Act may be a critical part of constructing a winning message and coalition for 2012 and beyond.


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