Rubio warns against 'rush to legislate' on immigration reform

Ianus · 03-30-2013, 10:50 PM

Now that the Senate legislation has overcome some major hurdles the next step would be a write up of the legislation followed by a mark-up in the Senate Judiciary.

I believe Chairman Leahy would like to push the legislation hastily through the Senate Judiciary but many Republican Senators ,including Rubio,doesn't believe that is a good idea.

Quote:

Marco Rubio, the leading Republican on the Senate's Gang of Eight immigration reform team, has sent a strongly-worded letter to Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, warning against an expected Democratic effort to rush an immigration bill through the committee. Specifically, Rubio suggests -- in wording that is actually more than a suggestion but less than an outright demand -- that Leahy hold multiple hearings on the Gang of Eight proposal, once it is actually written and introduced in the committee.

"I am aware that the Judiciary Committee, both under your leadership and under the leadership of your predecessors, has conducted a number of hearings related to immigration reform," Rubio, who is not a member of the Judiciary Committee, writes. "I am certain that those hearings deepened your knowledge of these issues and will guide much of your work this Congress. But they cannot be a substitute for fresh hearings to consider specific legislation as part of a national conversation."

Rubio's letter reads like a direct response to Leahy's letter last week to Republican Judiciary Committee member Jeff Sessions, who has complained about a hurried consideration of the Gang of Eight bill. In that letter, Leahy suggested that hearings held on a failed immigration reform proposal in 2006 and 2007 would suffice for the committee as it considers the new bill, which has still not been finished. Sessions and four GOP colleagues on the committee had also suggested that the committee hear from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who has expressed strong opposition to Republican plans to make increase border security a "trigger" for reform.

"I cannot urge strongly enough that [discussion of the bill] start with meaningful hearings," Rubio said. "Of particular importance is a full consideration of border security proposals, including testimony from border security experts, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and others. A key feature of our bipartisan approach has been an insistence on meeting border security and other enforcement triggers before unauthorized immigrants can apply for permanent residence. But the success of these triggers will require examining what the American taxpayer’s commitment must be in order to make this security plan a reality."

Given past immigration reform failures, Rubio argues that lawmakers must make an extra effort to gain the public's trust. "A rush to legislate, without fully considering all views and input from all senators, would be fatal to the effort of earning the public’s confidence," he writes.

Rubio's letter places him firmly in line with the Republicans on the committee -- Sessions, Charles Grassley, Orrin Hatch, John Cornyn, Mike Lee, and Ted Cruz -- who have publicly called for a more deliberative process than Leahy has suggested. Rubio's words on this issue hold enormous sway with Senate Republicans overall, and it will likely be hard to find any GOP senator who disagrees with his new letter. But of course Leahy has a Democratic majority on the committee and all the power of the chairmanship, and he appears determined to move the bill as quickly as he can.

Severity · 03-30-2013, 11:03 PM

Toss him a bottle of water so he can shut up.

zone2oo0 · 03-31-2013, 01:17 AM

Cubans, once here don't have to go through the same shit others do, he can't relate to us AT ALL. i don't care how hispanic he thinks he is, hes still a republican, and a top contender for that matter. All hes doing is trying to get his peers to like him more by acting "tough", they better not make me a citizen, GOP already screwed up hard.

Task_1539 · 03-31-2013, 01:42 AM

Rubio...Hispanic by circumstance, politician by privilege.

Sonawabich · 03-31-2013, 03:56 AM

Rubio would take all the credit, if he could

bigdreamer2010 · 03-31-2013, 12:49 PM

Rubio is so full of it it's outrageous : "But arriving at a final product will require it to be properly submitted for the American people’s consideration, through the other 92 senators from 43 states that weren’t part of this initial drafting process. In order to succeed, this process cannot be rushed or done in secret.”

So now he's changing tone and trying to slow the momentum like Jeff Sessions. Rubio has been a snake from the start. I hope Hispanics see through his facade.

immigration truth · 03-31-2013, 01:21 PM

It's just posturing, that's all this really is. I wouldn't take it at face value, I just hope this truly is released the week of April eight so that we can finally get the June vote. To hell with the constant media reports that state the same facts, to hell with the tea party's reluctance to pass a legislation we all know is likely to pass now, and that with it's ten year+ waiting period for green cards seems pretty fair, and to hell with Marco Rubio acting as if he has always cared about immigration Reform. Just get it passed.

Happyman0607 · 03-31-2013, 01:57 PM

God... This Marco Rubio is such a joke.. He really thinks he's going to save the Republican Party? He's in for a shock.. I have no problem with republicans.. I actually agree with most of their policies, but there is no way this flake will ever save the republicans face or win a national election.. Rand Paul is my republican guy

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31

They need you!

Forum links

Resources

Join our list

National calendar of events

August

Rubio warns against 'rush to legislate' on immigration reform