Sen. Rubio: GOP is pro-legal immigration
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) talks to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer about Romney’s stance on immigration and much more. A highlight from the interview is after the jump. Please credit all usage of the information to CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
BLITZER: — I want to get to the book in a few moments.
Let’s talk a little bit about immigration right now, the search for Latino support out there. You heard — I assume you heard Mitt Romney’s address before elected Le — Latino officials earlier in the day. And it — to me, at least, it seemed sort of different, the tone, at least, compared to what he was saying during the primary.
Did you hear that?
RUBIO: Well, what I’ve heard, Wolf, is that we’re the pro-immig — pro-legal immigration party. And that’s the argument I’ve always made, is that the Republican Party is not simply the anti-illegal immigration party, it’s the pro-legal immigration party.
We understand legal immigration is good for America, important for America’s economic future. We recognize that America has one of the most generous immigration programs in the world. Over a million people a year immigrate here legally. No other country even comes close.
But we have an illegal immigration problem. And that’s a legitimate concern, as well.
And I think what you’ve seen Governor Romney trying to do is — is — is trying to figure out how do we come up a responsible, pro-America, pro-economic growth approach that’s both humane and compassionate and honors our legacy as a nation of immigrants, but also understands that we do have an illegal immigration problem and that we can’t be the only country in the world that doesn’t enforce its immigration laws.
And I think that’s what you saw today from him, not a political speech, not a campaign speech, but a very serious policy speech that I think begins to truly identify the Republican Party as the pro-legal immigration party.
BLITZER: The Obama campaign wasted no time coming up with a — coming out with a tough statement reacting to what Romney said today. They — they recalled that during the Republican primaries, he said he would — he called the Dream Act — and a variation of that you seemed to have liked — the Dream Act a handout and he promised he would veto it if it were enacted and he were president.
Today, we didn’t hear that from Romney.
RUBIO: Well, first of all, I think he’s been pretty clear he doesn’t support the Dream Act and I don’t support the Dream Act either. I do think there’s a better way to do it. I talk about that in my book.
There is a way to — to accommodate these kids that are — find themselves in this circumstance, through no fault of their own. But there’s a way to accommodate them without encouraging or incentivizing illegal immigration in the future.
And I think that’s what you saw Governor Romney say today, is that if he’s president, he’s not going to find a political solution or a talking point, he’s not going to find a stopgap measure. He’s going to find a real serious, balanced, responsible approach that honors our legacy as a nation of immigrants, that understands the humanitarian component of this problem, but that does so in a way that doesn’t encourage or reward illegal immigration in the future.