Republicans hope Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) can help them reach out to Hispanic voters but any debate on immigration reform could end up alienating the bloc they are courting.
Groups that want to stem the flow of illegal immigration say a bill Rubio has crafted could become a vehicle for other proposals, such as legislation requiring employers to verify the immigration status of workers and revoking birthright citizenship.
Rubio will soon unveil a plan to grant legal residency to illegal immigrants who came to the country as children if they meet certain requirements. It would serve as an alternative to the Democrats’ DREAM Act, which grants a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. at a young age.
“I suspect it will become a vehicle for all sorts of amendments,” said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, in reference to Rubio’s bill.
Rubio said he is waiting to get “final figures from the Congressional Budget Office” about how much the bill would cost and how many immigrants it would affect.
He believes many Democrats would vote for his legislation, which will put pressure on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to schedule a vote.
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (Ill.), a leading Democratic proponent of immigration reform, predicted last month that as many as 95 percent of Democrats could support Rubio’s bill if it “stops the deportations and is sensible and reasonable,” according to Talking Points Memo, a digital news organization.
Rubio’s bill could give a small group of conservative colleagues a chance to force a vote on ending birthright citizenship.
Rubio told The Hill he is not concerned that his effort could spur a congressional debate that alienates Hispanic voters from the GOP.
“I haven’t really thought about it that way. I think this is a legitimate issue, it’s one of many,” he said. “I also think it’s wrong to believe the only issue that Hispanics care about is immigration.
“To only think that the only thing Hispanics care about is immigration is not accurate and is quite frankly borderline disrespectful,” he added.
Rubio said debates about e-verify and birthright citizenship are separate issues and “we can have conversations about those issues.”
|