Florida’s junior U.S. Senator has become the face of bipartisan efforts to reform immigration. In fact, Senator Marco Rubio’s stand has turned him from the “darling” of conservatives to a target of sorts.
Senator Marco Rubio came to the Tampa Bay area to talk about his Educational Opportunities Act – but he’s still carrying the banner for immigration reform.
"I don’t know anyone who is happy with the status quo", Rubio said. "So we’re trying to address that and improve it. So we’ll listen to valid criticism on both sides of the aisle because we actually want to find a solution here."
And that reform Rubio says should include an examination of the policy that allows Cubans open access to the U.S. because they are fleeing a repressive government.
"You also have people coming from Cuba and they’re here for a year and a day and they’re traveling back 10-12 times a year. And it’s hard to look other people in the eye and say these are exiles", said Rubio. "So I’ve said that reality of that kind of travel is endangering the status Cubans have and that it should be examined."
Rubio says ultimately not everyone is going to like what happens but keeping the current immigration system is not an option.