There He Goes Again: Marco Rubio Continues His Misinformation Campaign

One thing can be said about Marco Rubio: he is persistent.  But as he attempts to reboot his campaign to defend the indefensible Gang of Eight bill, he is still saying things that are untrue and, at times, downright absurd.   In responding to a critical assessment of the bill (has there been any other since its release?) on the conservative Power Line blog, Rubio (or more accurately Rubio’s office, the same staff that compared the push for amnesty to the emancipation of slaves) reiterated his stance that the bill isn’t a “comprehensive” bill because:

The word “comprehensive” isn’t in the title…our bill is really a couple of smaller bills combined; we dealt with each issue separately (enforcement; pathway to legalization; temporary worker, etc.), and did not negotiate one against the other since they are all unique issues.

Does Rubio really believe that the bill isn’t comprehensive because it’s one gigantic bill that has various components?  That’s like arguing War and Peace isn’t really a book because “book” is not in the title and it’s divided up into chapters.  The whole point of Rubio’s version of immigration reform is that it must be comprehensive.  In fact, his office explicitly says so in the very next sentence:

Marco would be fine with breaking up the bill and passing it as a series of smaller bills, but many fear that would result in Congress only fixing certain parts of our immigration system, while letting other — more controversial — aspects fester…

So Rubio would be fine with genuine reform of the immigration system, but because that would entail standing up to the special interests in D.C., the Senator is forced to go along with a “comprehensive” (just don’t call it that) reform bill that he admits is flawed.  This game has been going on for years on Capitol Hill.  Those who want mass amnesty (La Raza) are willing to agree to the demand for a massive increase in guest workers (U.S. Chamber) in order to get legislation passed.  Tripling annual immigrant admissions is where they meet in the middle.  That’s what Rubio signed off on with the Gang of Eight bill.

Here’s a suggestion for Rubio since he is “fine” with breaking up the bill.  Begin by passing legislation that will actually secure the border and not one that requires only a plan to secure the border maybe perhaps ten years down the road.  The next bill should be mandatory E-Verify for all U.S. employers, including agricultural employers, that allows states to enforce penalties against employers who violate the law.  Then Congress can demand by law that the Obama Administration renew 287(g) agreements with local law enforcement agencies, reviving cooperative efforts to enforce immigration law on the interior.  If these three steps were taken, the other –more controversial – provisions might no longer be necessary.