ImmigrationRubio says immigration reform bill will likely not pass the House
Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) said on a talk radio show on Tuesday that the bipartisan immigration reform legislation unveiled last week, will likely not pass the Republican-led House. “[The bill] will have to be adjusted, because people are very suspicious about the willingness of the government to enforce the laws now,” Rubio said.
Sen. Marco Rubio expresses doubt of immigration reform bill passage // Source: senate.gov
Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) said on a talk radio show on Tuesday that the bipartisan immigration reform legislation unveiled last week, will likely not pass the Republican-led House.
Politico reports that Rubio discussed the challenges facing the prospects for immigration reform. “The bill that’s in place right now probably can’t pass the House,” Rubio told Mike Gallagher, a nationally syndicated talk show host. “It will have to be adjusted, because people are very suspicious about the willingness of the government to enforce the laws now.”
“That is a very legitimate suspicion, it’s one that I share, and if there’s anything we can do to make [the bill] even tighter … that’s exactly what we should be working on,” Rubio added.
In another radio appearance on the same day, Rubio said enforcement mechanisms in the bill would need to be stronger in order to pass the House. One method would be to require construction of a double-sided fence, which Rubio said he would support.
”I believe that double-fencing in the right places has been highly effective,” Rubio said on the Hugh Hewitt Show.
The Florida Republican believes the immigration bill is a “starting point” and urged opponents to propose changes to the bill, not try to kill it altogether.
“Let’s try to fix it,” Rubio said on Gallagher’s show. “Let’s try to change it, but to just say let’s defeat the whole thing, I don’t think that’s a productive approach either.”
House Republicans prefer to handle immigration reform in small pieces instead of in one big bill. Senate supporters of the bill hope for a floor vote on passing the immigration bill will put pressure on House Republicans to pass the bill.
While Rubio is skeptical about the bill’s chances in the House, fellow Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) is still confident that the bill can gain bipartisan support.
McCain said that he is trying to appeal to the “better angels of their nature” and highlight the need for a solution for illegal immigrants residing in the United States today, but he also said that one of the main reasons Republicans need to make a push for immigration reform is to gain more Latino votes in upcoming elections.
“We will not be able to compete for the Hispanic voter until this is done,” McCain said at an immigration forum hosted by the University of Southern California.
