Politics

Vitter on Rubio’s immigration reform push: ‘I just think he’s amazingly naïve on this issue’ [AUDIO]

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Laura Ingraham radio show, Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter had some criticisms for his colleague Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio’s push for immigration reform.

Rubio in recent days has made his case on various conservative talk radio shows, including Ingraham’s, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. But Vitter pointed to the lapses in Rubio’s judgment with regards to the legalization status his proposal would offer.

“Look, I love and respect Marco,” Vitter said. “I just think he’s amazingly naïve on this issue.  This is the same old formula we’ve dealt with before, including when it passed in 1986 and that is promise of enforcement and immediate amnesty. And of course, the promises of enforcement never materialize. The amnesty happens immediately, the millisecond the bill is signed into law. And the same is true here.”

“No, they won’t be citizens immediately,” he continued. “They will be legal. They will have a full right to stay in this country forever legally. And then the only question is how long does that take? It’s going to happen. Does it take a year, five years, longer? But citizenship is guarantee at that point as a practical matter.”

The tradeoff that Rubio had maintained would be essential for his support would be some sort border enforcement. However, Vitter said there would no way to hold account for that tradeoff.

“Look, as soon as you give these people a legal status, to say that you’re going to reverse that is ridiculous,” Vitter said. “It’ll never happen. Soon as you give them a legal status, they are here legally forever and probably they’re citizens pretty darn soon thereafter. And if Marco thinks what happens or doesn’t happen on the enforcement side — that’s not going to happen. I just think he’s nuts.”

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Jeff Poor