Rubio Reassures Rush On Immigration Reform [View all]

[DonViejo]

Rubio To Rush: I Have An Escape Hatch On Immigration

BENJY SARLIN JANUARY 29, 2013, 2:01 PM

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) made the case for immigration reform to Rush Limbaugh on his radio show Tuesday, but made clear his willingness to blow up talks if he thinks a bill is moving too far to the left.

Limbaugh, who said on Monday that “it’s up to me and Fox News” to kill immigration reform efforts, gave Rubio a respectful hearing but said he feared the senator was being exploited to advance Democratic goals.

Rubio defended his efforts as a shield against accusations that Republicans don’t care about immigrants in case negotiations fail.

“If they want to go further than the Senate agreement, I think they have a problem because they cant argue we haven’t tried to do our part to come up with something that’s reasonable,” he said.

Responding to challenges from Limbaugh that Obama would demand reforms with fewer border security measures, Rubio emphasized his willingness to walk away from a bill if he didn’t get what he wanted on that front. In particular, he said including enforcement measures as a “trigger” for undocumented immigrants to seek permanent residency was key.

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