Former ‘Gang of 8’ member Rubio unfit as presidential candidate

Letter date: 
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Letter publisher: 
Statesman Journal
Letter author: 
David Olen Cross
Letter body: 

Republican presidential candidate Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was a leading member of the “Gang of Eight” which worked and voted for the passage of Senate Bill 744 (S.744) in 2013, a bill they termed “comprehensive immigration reform,” but which was actually a wide-sweeping amnesty to illegal immigrants that contained only weak promises for future law enforcement of the country’s immigration laws. The bill all but ignored the past and present illicit activities and criminal conduct of illegal immigrants currently in the country.

Just three years ago, Sen. Rubio showed he was willing to overlook the criminal activities of 11.3 million illegal immigrants who may have committed crimes and misdemeanors like identity theft, social security fraud, over staying visas and illegal employment.

Fortunately for national security and the public safety of all Americans the Gang of Eight’s amnesty attempt went no further than the U.S. Senate because citizens across the country pressured the U.S. House of Representatives not to consider the bill.

This year, on Jan. 17, presidential candidate Rubio reminded Americans of his support for amnesty for criminal immigrants while being interviewed by Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet the Press.

A politician to the core, Sen. Rubio said in the interview with Todd that illegal immigrants who were felons would not be granted amnesty while those immigrants who had committed only “immigration crimes” would not be excluded from receiving amnesty.

What might be said of Rubio’s Meet the Press interview is that he purposely didn’t reveal there are some “immigration crimes” like repeat illegal entry into the country and document fraud that do constitute felony crimes.

Recent U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate statistics’ indicate there are 17,354 federal prisoners incarcerated for immigration offenses, 9.4 percent of the federal prison population.

The federal prison system incarcerates at least 34,806 foreign national inmates; they are at a minimum 17.7 percent of the federal government's prison inmates.

As 2016 presidential primary elections occur across our nation, American voters who rejected Sen. Marco Rubio’s 2013 amnesty bill for illegal immigrants should reject his bid to become the Republican candidate for President of the United States.

David Olen Cross of Salem writes on immigration issues and foreign national crime. He is a weekly guest on the “Lars Larson Northwest Show.” He can be reached atdocfnc@yahoo.com or at http://docfnc.wordpress.com/.