Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio has effectively ruled out granting lawful permanent residency to undocumented immigrants if he makes it to the White House, even for a second term. Pressed by conservative host Sean Hannity during a Monday night interview on Fox News, the Florida senator said he's open to a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, but only a decade or more after passage of bills to secure the border and modernize the legal immigration system.
Rubio's far-right transformation on immigration is complete
In 2013, Marco Rubio used to champion a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform plan. In 2015, Rubio has abandoned his own bill, pandering to the GOP base.
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There were unique political circumstances that opened the door to comprehensive immigration reform two years ago: both sides of the fight really could get what they wanted at the same time. Broadly speaking, Republicans wanted increased border security; Democrats wanted a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the United States; and each side could live with the other's goal.
Eight U.S. senators -- four Republicans and four Democrats -- worked out the details and crafted a popular policy with broad support. One of them, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), saw it as a signature issue upon which to base a presidential campaign.
We now know, of course, that the process fell apart. House Republicans killed the bipartisan package and Rubio abandoned his own legislation.
This week, the far-right Floridian's transformation on immigration policy reached its end point. Bloomberg Politics reported yesterday:
The GOP senator specifically told the Fox News host that after officials "stop illegal immigration" and "modernize" the system, "then ultimately in 10 or 12 years you could have a broader debate about how has this worked out and should we allow some of them to apply for green cards and eventually citizenship.”
Let's flesh this out because it's arguably a turning point for the candidate who may very well become his party's presidential nominee.
In 2013, Rubio backed a comprehensive solution: Republicans could get increased border security; Democrats could create a pathway to citizenship; and together, they'd overhaul and modernize the system.
In 2015, Rubio supports a policy in which Republicans get what they want, and in 2027, policymakers can begin to have a conversation about possibly considering what Democrats want.
Rubio campaign spokesman Alex Conant told Bloomberg Politics that Rubio's "principles" on immigration reform "have not changed."
I can't speak to Alex Conant's definition of "principles," but I can say Rubio's policy positions on immigration reform have changed. Indeed, they've changed quite dramatically. Under the far-right senator's new vision, the debate over a pathway to citizenship wouldn't even begin until after a Rubio presidency would have ended -- even if he were to win two terms.
The partisan realities surrounding the issue are obviously causing Rubio to overhaul his entire vision. How does a senator who wrote an "amnesty" bill the Republican base abhors win a GOP primary? By pandering to hard-core conservatives and repudiating the same policies Rubio championed just two years ago.
But that's more of an excuse than an explanation. In 2013, Rubio saw himself as a politician ready to lead on a major national issue. Two years later, he's just another far-right follower. Rather than challenging his party's base to embrace the best possible policy, the senator is telling the base what it wants to hear.
It's a missed opportunity for real leadership.
Postscript: I saw some suggestions yesterday that a pathway to citizenship, even under the bipartisan reform package the Senate passed in 2013, wouldn't have been a reality until the next decade. That's true. But it's still a vast improvement on the narrow vision Rubio is suddenly peddling -- instead of citizenship opportunities in 2026, the Republican candidate is talking about initiating a debate in 2027 about whether to even consider citizenship opportunities.