By Sara Murray and Damian Palette
The Wall Street Journal
Sen. Marco Rubio kicked off his hard sell for an immigration overhaul to skeptical fellow Republicans Sunday, just ahead of the expected unveiling of legislation he has helped craft.
Mr. Rubio, of Florida, will be key to pitching the immigration plan to conservative lawmakers. In a Sunday television blitz, the possible 2016 presidential contender focused on the bill’s border-security measures and hurdles that immigrants would need to clear before they gain citizenship. Those components could make the broad legislation easier to swallow for some Republicans, who worry that awarding citizenship to people in the U.S. illegally would amount to amnesty.
“This is not blanket amnesty,” Mr. Rubio said on NBC. “It’s not amnesty, because you pay serious consequences for having violated the law.”
A bipartisan group of eight senators is expected to unveil an immigration proposal as early as Tuesday. The comprehensive plan would create a path to citizenship for more than 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally, amp up border security and establish a series of new visa programs designed to streamline the legal-immigration system.
If you’d like to discuss immigration matters, Brian Bergin, bbergin@roselawgroup.com
