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by Esther Yu-Hsi Lee Posted on April 13, 2015 at 8:00 amUpdated: April 12, 2015 at 11:15 pm

"How Marco Rubio Went From Backing Immigration Reform To Berating DREAMers"

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is expected to announce his 2016 presidential run Monday at Freedom Tower in Florida, or the Ellis Island of the South, so monikered because the center offered relief to Cuban refugees seeking political asylum from Fidel Castros regime between 1962 and 1974. But despite his announcement at a site that symbolizes hope and freedom for refugees, Rubio has not lately been the friend to immigration reform he once was.

Some political analysts believe that Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants from the Latino-heavy districts of Florida, could appeal to Latinos and could fit the description of a Republican nominee who scores somewhere in the mid-40s, or better, among Hispanic voters, as pollster Whit Ayres stated at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast.

But even if Rubio is on the face of it, an immigration success story through his Cuban exile parents, Latinos and immigrant advocates arent necessarily into him. Thats hardly a surprise: In the past two years, Rubio has swung wildly between supporting a permanent fix to bring the countrys 11.2 million undocumented immigrants into the formal American society and berating so-called DREAMers, or undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children.

Rubios tap dance comes in part from a diverse potential constituency that includes appeasing both Tea Party supporters who helped put him in the Senate in 2010, and Latinos, who are quickly becoming something of an outreach necessity for the Republican Party to take the White House in 2016. Latinos are also the fastest-growing voter electorate.

For more than 40 percent of Latinos living in Florida, immigration policy is a personal matter. Rubio acknowledged as much in 2013, stating, the immigration issue is a gateway issue for Hispanics, no doubt about it. The Republican National Committees 2012 autopsy report was just as explicit, Hispanic voters tell us our Partys position on immigration has become a litmus test, measuring whether we are meeting them with a welcome mat or a closed door.

As Rubio has moved toward a possible presidential announcement, he has increasingly distanced himself from any sort of comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship or even deportation relief for undocumented immigrants of the sort he championed just two years ago as a sponsor of the Senates reform bill. Below is a timeline of his most prominent positions.

2012: RUBIO STATES THAT DREAMERS ARE REAL PEOPLE. Immigrant advocates interrupted Rubios speech in January, asking him please help us, the immigrant community. Rubio responded, These young people are very brave to be here today. They raise a very legitimate issue. I ask that you let them stay. I dont stand for what they claim I stand for.

In April, Rubio reached out to immigrant advocates and DREAMers to discuss an alternative bill that he was crafting that would stop short of creating a pathway to citizenship, but still grant deportation relief to some immigrants brought to the country as children.

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How Marco Rubio Went From Backing Immigration Reform To ...

Immigration reform has been one of President Obamas biggest political battles, and that looks to be no different for the growing pool of candidates for the 2016 presidential race. As the field fills out, most recently with Hillary Clinton and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio entering the race, questions remain over whether the next White House occupant might help or hinder prospects for comprehensive reform, or try to undo Obamas immigration executive action for undocumented immigrants.

Marco Rubio

Republican candidates still face the tricky balancing act of attracting Latino voters while appealing to party hardliners on immigration. Rubio, one of the two Latino candidates in the ring so far, is already facing scrutiny regarding his 180-degree turn on immigration in recent years. Rubio one of the original sponsors of the Gang of Eight bipartisan immigration bill in 2013 that was considered Congress best chance at the time for passing comprehensive reform. While that bill assured a range of border security requirements be met -- including completing 700 miles of border fencing and increasing the number of Border Patrol agents -- it also provided a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers (undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children), streamlined legal immigration systems and even included a program to reunite deported parents with their familiesin the U.S. under certain conditions.

But since that bill faltered in Congress, Rubio has changed tack on immigration, throwing his support behind piecemeal legislation and emphasizing border security over talk of any kind of relief for undocumented immigrants. The only path forward that has any chance of success is to bring illegal immigration under control [first], Rubio told reporters in January. After that, he said, lawmakers could then streamline the legal immigration process.

In the past, hes supported in-state tuition for Dreamers and planned a bill that would grant temporary deportation relief to those immigrants under certain conditions. But he criticized Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, announced in 2012, saying it had poisoned the well for immigration reform. Last summer he also called for winding down the program, saying it was fueling the surge of unaccompanied Central American migrants at the southwestern border.

Ted Cruz

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the other Cuban-American presidential contender in the field, has long been a vocal opponent of Obamas immigration policies and any relief for undocumented immigrants. He voted against the 2013 comprehensive reform bill, criticizing its provisions as providing amnesty for illegal immigration, and advocated defunding both DACA and Obamas more recent executive action for undocumented parents of U.S. citizens, known as DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of U.S. Citizens and Long-Term Residents).

Instead, Cruz has pushed for dramatic increases in border security, including tripling the number of Border Patrol agents, quadrupling the amount of border monitoring and surveillance equipment, and building a double-layered fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Hillary Clinton

Clinton, the presumed Democratic nominee, has remained relatively reticent on immigration issues since taking some heat during the 2008 primary for reversing her stance on drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants. (She appeared to support such a policy at first, but later denied she was advocating for such a move.) In recent years, shes expressed support for Obamas executive action as well as a bipartisan comprehensive bill that includes a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living illegally in the U.S. At the same time, she has faced pressure from immigration activists to advocate more for reform.

Excerpt from:
Immigration Reform And The 2016 Race: Where Do Presidential Hopefuls Stand On Immigration?

Marco Rubio is officially on the campaign trail, and his first big challenge iswinning the Republican nomination in a crowded pool of candidates.

"Tonight, grounded by the lessons of our history, but inspired by the promise of our future, I announce my candidacy for President of the United States,"Rubio said Monday.

It's a meteoric rise for the sophomoresenator, who was elected amid a surge of tea party support in 2010.But there's one big issue Rubio has to tackle to win theRepublican nomination his stance on immigration.

"Deporting all illegal immigrants is not a practical solution. But ignoring the fact that they're here is just as bad,"Rubio said in 2013.

Rubio was part of the "Gang of Eight," a bipartisan group of senators who authored a comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2013.

Thatbill included a legal pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants,something hardline conservatives stringently oppose. Rubio's support of the bill lost him a lot of favor in the tea party.

"People are furious about this,"activist David Caulkett told WPTV.

The measure passed the Senate but ultimately stalled in the House, and Rubio quickly began backtracking.

Last year, he told a group of immigration protesters,"You don't have a right to illegally immigrate to the United States."

Now, with the GOP nomination for president on the line, Rubio's immigration rhetoric focuses more andmore on border security.

Excerpt from:
Rubio's first challenge: Immigration stance

House Democratic Leaders on Immigration Reform, Farm Bill Women #39;s Health Care Rights
"I thank the Speaker. Arguably, Mr. Speaker, this Congress is the least productive one in which I have served over the last 33 years, both from a humanitarian standpoint and an economic one.......

By: Jale Adair

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House Democratic Leaders on Immigration Reform, Farm Bill & Women's Health Care Rights - Video

Inside Outlook: Immigration Reform
There are over 40 million immigrants living in America today. Over 11 million are doing so undocumented. Immigrants account for 13 percent of the total US population and about 16 percent of...

By: UWTV

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Inside Outlook: Immigration Reform - Video