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Marco Rubio: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is raising his national profile through a series of major policy speeches on the economy and America's role in the world.
But one issue Florida's freshman Republican doesn't spend much time discussing is immigration. That's despite the fact his parents came from Cuba and he represents the state with the third-largest number of illegal immigrants. The issue has also garnered recent attention in the Republican presidential primary campaign because Texas Gov. Rick Perry supports in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants, a position Rubio once supported.
Rubio will talk in generalities about immigration but as the charismatic 40-year-old lawmaker's prominence grows, he will likely face more scrutiny on the issue. Despite his denials of interest, he is one of many Republicans who get mentioned as possible vice presidential nominees next year, and recently announced plans for a memoir.
"At the national level, he's not going to get a pass as he did in his Senate election," said Frank Sharry of the Washington, D.C. based pro-immigrant group, "America's Voice. Sharry said Rubio's views on immigration and on making English the official language "are going to be lifted up to the diverse immigrant communities in Florida and to the largely Mexican-American communities in the West."
That is in part why talking about immigration is complicated for Rubio. He's the darling of tea party conservatives and generally favors their position of securing the border first and dealing with the country's more than 10 million illegal immigrants later. Republicans also are frank about the charismatic senator's ability to attract Latinos to the GOP, a factor that could play a key role in swing states like Colorado, New Mexico and Florida next year. Rubio speaks glowingly about his immigrant parents' struggles to rebuild their lives in the U.S.
Still, the country's mostly Mexican-American Latino voters tend to support immigration reform that covers both border security and a path to legalization for qualified illegal immigrants, rather than delaying the latter. Meanwhile, even Florida's influential Puerto Ricans, who are U.S. citizens, and its Cuban-American immigrants, who get special permission to remain in the U.S., tend to be more sympathetic to the plight of illegal immigrants than the general public. They are also more concerned about laws that require police to check suspects' citizenship, fearing they will be the victims of racial profiling.
Former State Rep. J.C. Planas, a Miami Republican and Rubio's longtime House colleague, says Rubio is being unfairly pressed on immigration because he's Hispanic. Planas supports comprehensive immigration reform but said the entire GOP has moved to the right on the issue, and Rubio's position merely reflects that shift.
Rubio is still relatively unknown among Latinos outside Florida, and immigration is hardly the only issue they or the rest of the nation will judge him on.
But Arturo Vargas, head of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, says it's natural for Latinos to look to Rubio for leadership on the issue.
"It's not unreasonable for people to hope that individuals who are immigrants or children of immigrants and in policy-making positions would be sympathetic to the plight of immigrants," he said. "It's not just about when you talk, it's about using your authority to help make the plight of those individuals better."
But one issue Florida's freshman Republican doesn't spend much time discussing is immigration. That's despite the fact his parents came from Cuba and he represents the state with the third-largest number of illegal immigrants. The issue has also garnered recent attention in the Republican presidential primary campaign because Texas Gov. Rick Perry supports in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants, a position Rubio once supported.
Rubio will talk in generalities about immigration but as the charismatic 40-year-old lawmaker's prominence grows, he will likely face more scrutiny on the issue. Despite his denials of interest, he is one of many Republicans who get mentioned as possible vice presidential nominees next year, and recently announced plans for a memoir.
"At the national level, he's not going to get a pass as he did in his Senate election," said Frank Sharry of the Washington, D.C. based pro-immigrant group, "America's Voice. Sharry said Rubio's views on immigration and on making English the official language "are going to be lifted up to the diverse immigrant communities in Florida and to the largely Mexican-American communities in the West."
That is in part why talking about immigration is complicated for Rubio. He's the darling of tea party conservatives and generally favors their position of securing the border first and dealing with the country's more than 10 million illegal immigrants later. Republicans also are frank about the charismatic senator's ability to attract Latinos to the GOP, a factor that could play a key role in swing states like Colorado, New Mexico and Florida next year. Rubio speaks glowingly about his immigrant parents' struggles to rebuild their lives in the U.S.
Still, the country's mostly Mexican-American Latino voters tend to support immigration reform that covers both border security and a path to legalization for qualified illegal immigrants, rather than delaying the latter. Meanwhile, even Florida's influential Puerto Ricans, who are U.S. citizens, and its Cuban-American immigrants, who get special permission to remain in the U.S., tend to be more sympathetic to the plight of illegal immigrants than the general public. They are also more concerned about laws that require police to check suspects' citizenship, fearing they will be the victims of racial profiling.
Former State Rep. J.C. Planas, a Miami Republican and Rubio's longtime House colleague, says Rubio is being unfairly pressed on immigration because he's Hispanic. Planas supports comprehensive immigration reform but said the entire GOP has moved to the right on the issue, and Rubio's position merely reflects that shift.
Rubio is still relatively unknown among Latinos outside Florida, and immigration is hardly the only issue they or the rest of the nation will judge him on.
But Arturo Vargas, head of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, says it's natural for Latinos to look to Rubio for leadership on the issue.
"It's not unreasonable for people to hope that individuals who are immigrants or children of immigrants and in policy-making positions would be sympathetic to the plight of immigrants," he said. "It's not just about when you talk, it's about using your authority to help make the plight of those individuals better."
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