Tampa Bay Times

5/8/13

WASHINGTON — The Senate immigration bill will be fed through the grinder today when scores of amendments, from adding rights for gay couples to even more border security, are considered. It's a crucial start to a process Sen. Marco Rubio and the rest of the Gang of 8 hope will lead to broad support for immigration reform in the full Senate.

But a bigger challenge looms in the Republican-controlled House. Look no further than Florida's GOP delegation, Rubio admirers who are reluctant to embrace a comprehensive approach or flatly oppose some provisions.

Sun Sentinel

4/19/2013

Facing political attacks, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is leading an intense defense of the newly introduced immigration-overhaul bill with a flurry of public statements, a “Reform Facts” web page and a speech on the Senate floor.   “This is a reasonable way to deal with a real problem,” the Florida Republican, looking stern, told the Senate on Thursday. “The alternative is to do nothing. “What we have today is devastating and horrible for our economy,” he added, citing public costs when those who are here illegally rely on public hospitals or drive without licenses or insurance. Doing nothing, he said, amounts to an “amnesty. And “amnesty” is just what critics are calling the bill that Rubio and a bipartisan group of seven fellow senators introduced this week.