Rubio Talks Out Of Both Sides Of His Mouth On Amnesty And Border Security

Senator Marco Rubio has apparently learned something from Yasser Arafat - the trick of saying one thing in English and another, quite different thing to a different audience in their native language.

He is reassuring conservatives that his entire amnesty scheme is based on border security first:

Linking Temporary Status To Security Triggers: No undocumented immigrant is eligible to apply for temporary status until the border security and fencing plan is in place. After being in the temporary status for at least ten years, no currently undocumented immigrant can even attain permanent residence, much less citizenship, unless the border security, employment verification and exit system triggers have been achieved.

But in Spanish on Univison? The story changes:

In his own appearance on the Spanish-language Univision network, Mr. Rubio tried to assuage some Hispanics who fear that their legal status will be held hostage to border security. Mr. Rubio said illegal immigrants will get quick legal status and work permits regardless of whether the borders are secure — but won’t be given a full pathway to citizenship until more enforcement is imposed.

“Nobody is talking here about preventing legalization. Legalization will take place,” Mr. Rubio told Univision in an interview scheduled to air Sunday.

“First comes legalization, then comes this border security measure and then comes the permanent residency process. What we are talking about here is the permanent residency system,” Mr. Rubio said. “Regarding legalization, a vast majority of my colleagues have already accepted that: that it must take place and that it must start at the same time we start with what has to do with security. That is not conditional. Legalization is not conditional.”

Of course, Rubio's own definition of amnesty has changed quite a bit. Here he is in 2010, when he was fighting to get elected and needed conservative support:

During a March 28, 2010 Fox News debate against then-Gov. Charlie Crist, Rubio said: “He would have voted for the McCain plan. I think that plan is wrong, and the reason I think it’s wrong is that if you grant amnesty, as the governor proposes that we do, in any form, whether it's back of the line or so forth, you will destroy any chance we will ever have of having a legal immigration system that works here in America.”

In a CNN debate on Oct 24, 2010, moderator Candy Crowley asked, “So your plan is that you're going to close the borders, get the electronic system, fix the legal system, and then do what?" Rubio responded: “And then you'll have a legal immigration system that works. And you'll have people in this country that are without documents that will be able to return to the -- will be able to leave this country, return to their homeland, and try to re-enter through our system that now functions, a system that makes sense…Earned path to citizenship is basically code for amnesty.

And now?

“This is not amnesty. Amnesty is the forgiveness of something. Amnesty is anything that says do it illegally, it will be cheaper and easier,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.”

(H/t, Ace)

Just another RINO talking out of both sides of his mouth on this issue. Ya Basta.

The odd part of this is that this legislation, which is blatantly unfair to those millions of people who are trying to emigrate legally actually is geared towards appeasing such a miniscule part of the electorate.


Not only that, but what percentage of the Latino electorate would favor amnesty for 11 million people if it were clearly explained to them these these people are going to largely compete with them for the jobs they now have? And that the current bill will do little to stop a continuing flow of migrants willing to allow the price of labor and working conditions to shift downwards? That unless they can afford private school, they will be the ones whose kids have to deal with 50 kids in a classroom, many of whom don't speak English and will slow down their own children's progress? That their taxes will have to be increased hugely to pay for social welfare benefits and ObamaCare for the new 'legalized' immigrants?

In my experience, there are quite a few who realize it already, but whose voices are largely going unheard.

If Republicans think that importing 11 million new citizens who will largely vote Democrat is the key to winning future elections, they're sadly mistaken.