U.S. Senator Marco Rubio says the bipartisan immigration reform bill he’s co-sponsored will beef up border security and deal with the undocumented population in a tough but humane manner.
Rubio spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate Thursday to push for passage of the bill, and dispel some myths he says opponents have been spreading.
He has also launched an "immigration reform facts" section on his website.
Rubio says both Republicans and Democrats have failed to enforce the country’s immigration laws, and that the status quo cannot continue.
"We're not going to deport them. So let's secure the border. Let's identify these people, let's run a background check, get in the back of the line, pay a fine, pay taxes, no federal benefits."
Rubio continues, "we all wish we did not have this problem, but leaving it the way it is, its amnesty, we have to solve this problem."
On Thursday, the Joint Economic Committee, which consists of both U.S. House and Senate members, announced it would evaluate the economic impact of the immigration reform bill.
Rubio says part of our immigration problem is after educating some of the world’s brightest people at our universities, we send them back home after graduation to compete against the U.S. instead of offering them green cards so they can stay here.
