Marco Rubio Calls Obama’s Immigration Reform Plan ‘Dead On Arrival’

Marco Rubio called President Obama’s immigration reform plan “dead on arrival” just hours after the first draft of the proposal was obtained by the press.

Rubio put out a press release that signaled his strong opposition to the proposed plan, calling it “half-baked and seriously flawed.”

The Huffington Post reports that the statement begins:

“It’s a mistake for the White House to draft immigration legislation without seeking input from Republican members of Congress.”

Rubio also believes that the bill would be “dead on arrival in Congress” should it ever be proposed. The Florida senator didn’t show much interest in immigration reform until the past few months.

He has since cast himself as a leader on the issue. He is also considered crucial to the Republicans after their poor showing with Latinos during the last election.

Marco Rubio previously proposed his own immigration reform plan. It includes tighter border and workplace security measures, as well as a long path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

The Miami Herald notes that Rubio also believes, according to the press release, that Obama’s immigration reform plan would “actually make our immigration problems worse.” He adds that it “would further undermine the American people’s confidence in Washington’s ability to enforce our immigration laws and reform our broken immigration system.”

Along with the president and Rubio’s proposed plans, other lawmakers are also drafting their own proposals. The other groups include a bipartisan team in the House and the “gang of 8” in the Senate. However, Obama has said that he will offer up his bill for a vote if Congress fails to act quickly on the issue.

After looking at Obama’s proposed immigration reform plan, do you agree with Marco Rubio’s assessment that it would be “dead on arrival” in Congress?

[Image by Gage Skidmore [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons]