NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Sen. Marco Rubio on Friday rallied Republican activists to usher in a conservative revival in 2016 in a clarion call that rested on post-partisan themes of American exceptionalism fueled by immigrants.
The Floridian argued for smaller government and personal responsibility, lower taxes and fewer regulations, as one might expect from a possible GOP presidential candidate who emerged on the national stage as a Tea Party stalwart. But Rubio framed his pitch in “deeply personal” terms, telling an annual winter gathering of the Conservative Political Action Conference just south of Washington that he is eternally grateful to the United States for taking in his parents after they fled Cuba.
“America doesn’t owe me anything. But I have a debt to America that I’ll never be able to repay,” Rubio said. “For me, America isn’t just a country, it’s a place that literally changed the history of my family. It’s a nation of equal opportunity it’s the most powerful force for good that the world has ever known. This is the America that welcomed my parents.”
During a prepared speech and question and answer session afterwards with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Rubio stuck with his support for immigration reform, the issue that has caused him the most trouble with the conservative grassroots. The senator two years ago was a lead negotiator of a bipartisan immigration overhaul that included a path to legalized status for illegal immigrants. The bill cleared the Senate but stalled in the House.
Asked about immigration, Rubio told the packed convention hall that he continues to back the broad reform policies that he pushed as a part of legislation known as the Senate “gang of eight” bill.
But Rubio made clear that he has dropped his support for overhauling U.S. immigration law through one, comprehensive bill. Rather, he would focus on border security and internal enforcement, and address the 11-12 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. only after Americans had confidence that the border was secure and the legal immigration process had been modernized and improved.
“It’s a serious problem and has to be confronted,” Rubio said, regarding immigration. “What I’ve learned, is you can’t even have a conversation about that until people believe — no, not just believe, but are proven to know, that future illegal immigration will be controlled.”
