Senator Marco Rubio has made an announcement in regards to his new ideas for the modernization of immigration reform. A recent interview conducted by the Wall Street Journal says that his plan includes a route to US citizenship for undocumented immigrants in the United States plus a provision for permanent residency. An alteration to the existing immigration system that is on the frontlines of his plan is to change the fact that at the moment just 6.5% of people are able to come to the United States based on skill and labor.
Rubio is the son of working class exiles from Cuba and has witnessed the immigration debate first hand, being very vocal on the issue from the moment he was elected to the Senate three years ago back in 2010. Rubio put his plans on hold, however, after the Dream Act was announced last year by President Barack Obama.
“Here’s how I envision it,” Rubio informed the Wall Street Journal: “They would have to come forward. They would have to undergo a background check. They would have to pay a fine, pay back taxes, maybe even do community service. They would have to prove they’ve been here for an extended period of time. They understand some English and are assimilated. Then most of them would get legal status and be allowed to stay in this country.”
Rubio has also stated that he supports the E-Verify system, which means that a company can check on a worker’s legal status, and backed the idea of an increase in the cap on skilled workers.