Rubio Says He Will Vote Against Amnesty If Bill Doesn’t Change

Rubio Says He Will Vote Against Amnesty If Bill Doesn’t Change

“Sen. Marco Rubio, the leading Republican behind the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform bill, says he will not vote for the legislation he helped write and has staked his political future on, unless substantial changes are made before final Senate consideration,” the Washington Examiner says.

“Speaking with radio host Hugh Hewitt Tuesday, Rubio said the Senate should “strengthen the border security parts of this bill so that they’re stronger, so that they don’t give overwhelming discretion to the Department of Homeland Security.” He said he was working with other senators on amendments to do just that.”

Erick Erickson: The Same Predictable (and Wrong) Narrative

“We are used to hearing the GOP is doomed with hispanic voters unless they do all sorts of things. I think much of what is said is said in a vacuum. Events and personalities change things. Likewise, I just don’t think the narrative is really as awful for the Republicans as so many in the press would have us believe,” says Erick Erickson at RedState.com.

“Today, Governor Rick Scott vetoed legislation that would have given illegal aliens drivers licenses. The sensational National Journal headline is “Florida Governor’s Immigration Veto Predicted to Set Off ‘Anti-Hispanic Bomb’ . . . But in 2010, Rick Scott campaign as an immigration hardliner. He campaigned against amnesty. He campaigned against drivers licenses for illegal aliens. He campaigned against comprehensive immigration reform. And he got 50% of the hispanic vote. Friends, the predictable narrative may not be.”

Guns, Gay Spouses May Derail Amnesty Bill

“As the Senate prepares to consider immigration reform next week, two powerful issues dividing lawmakers could be resurrected on the floor: guns and gay rights. They’re just two pressure points in a minefield that senators will have to navigate to pass the most sweeping immigration overhaul in decades,” Politico says.

“But debate over amendments to restrict gun ownership for illegal immigrants and to provide foreign-born gay partners with U.S. citizenship would reopen old wounds that both parties would rather see closed — even if those measures ultimately fail.”

Cornyn, Rubio Seeks Stronger Border Security Through Big Amendment

“Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn intends to introduce a sweeping amendment to the immigration bill when it goes on the floor next week, seeking to replace an entire section devoted to border security and tweak the national security and criminal justice titles.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), one of the members of the Senate’s bipartisan Gang of Eight, has been working with Cornyn on the amendment for weeks, a Rubio aide said,” Politico reports.

“The Texas Republican wants stricter border patrol provisional “triggers” before registered immigrants are allowed to apply for green card status. His amendment would require 100 percent operational control of the Southern borders and that 90 percent of illegal border crossers be apprehended.”

Health Care, Taxes Expected to Be Disputed in Next Week’s Debate

“Health benefits and taxes for undocumented foreigners emerged on Tuesday as thorny issues in the U.S. immigration debate as the Senate prepared to consider changes to a sweeping bill next week. A bipartisan group of senators are courting Republicans in hopes of reaching the minimum of 60 votes needed for passage. The centerpiece of the bill is a provision to grant legal status and a 13-year path to citizenship for the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants, provided they pay fines totaling $2,000 and back taxes the government says they owe,” Reuters reports.

Thomas Sowell: Time for the Facts About Immigrants, Not Wishful Thinking

“One of the many sad signs of our times is the way current immigration issues are discussed. A hundred years ago, immigration controversies were discussed in the context of innumerable facts about particular immigrant groups. Many of those facts were published in a huge, multi-volume 1911 study by a commission headed by Senator William P. Dillingham,” says Thomas Sowell.

“That and other studies of the time presented hard data on such things as which groups’ children were doing well in school and which were not, which groups had high crime rates or high rates of alcoholism, and which groups were over-represented among people living on the dole. Such data and such differences still exist today. Immigrants from some countries are seldom on welfare, but immigrants from other countries often are. Immigrants from some countries are typically people with high levels of education and skills, while immigrants from other countries seldom have much schooling or skills.”