Mitch Perry
Marco Rubio has been subject to intense criticism in conservative circles for his initial support for comprehensive immigration reform, but never like this.
On the eve of Super Tuesday, the families of 30 Americans who were tortured, raped or murdered by allegedly undocumented immigrants issued a public letter to Republican voters, saying the Florida senator has not done enough to protect the country from undocumented criminals.
“We do not want other families to die at the hands of illegal aliens,” the letter reads. “We want to end the massacre of innocents in exchange for enriching open border self-interest cartels. We are pleading with the Republican voter: Reject Rubio. Send a message to every politician in Washington, D.C.: if you betray American citizens, you will never occupy the Oval Office.”
The letter was issued from the website of the Remembrance Project, a 7-year-old nonprofit created “to honor and remember Americans who have been killed illegal aliens.”
Rubio was part of the “Gang of Eight,” a bipartisan group of U.S. senators who worked on a comprehensive plan to deal with illegal immigration that passed in the summer of 2013. However, then Speaker John Boehner refused to bring the bill up for a vote in the House. Since that time, Rubio has essentially repudiated his vote, and it’s been used by his political opponents against him against him in the campaign.
The letter alleges that the proposal was not only a plan to give “mass amnesty to illegals,” but was done through “daily lies” about what was in the legislation before it was unveiled.
“Rubio said no amnesty for criminals — but, in reality, it allowed amnesty to some of the most dangerous criminals in America,” the letter alleges. “Rubio said it was the toughest bill ever — it was the worst bill ever, supported by virtually every open borders politicians inside and outside Congress,” the letter contends.
Immigration has been a huge issue in the Republican presidential race, with Donald Trump ascendant in large part because of his tough talk on the issue. In his official speech announcing his candidacy last June, Trump called Latino immigrants “criminals” and “rapists.” He has also boasted how the Mexican government would pay for a security wall.
Meanwhile, Jeb Bush, the widely viewed as the most moderate Republican on the issue of immigration, saw his candidacy never get on track before he dropped out last month.
Rubio has said consistently on the campaign trail that until the security issue on the U.S.-Mexican border is secured, there can be no talk about what to do with about 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country.
On his website, Rubio lists all of the things he would do on illegal immigration if elected president.
- Cancel President Barack Obama’s “unconstitutional” executive orders;
- Eliminate federal funding for sanctuary cities;
- Deport criminal illegal aliens;
- Hire 20,000 new Border Patrol agents;
- Finish all 700 miles of walls on our southern border;
- Implement an entry-exit visa tracking system;
- Implement a mandatory eVerify system; and
- Install $4 billion in new cameras and sensors on the border.
