Marco Rubio responded to Donald Trump’s illegal immigration plan Tuesday, indicating the United States’ legal immigration system also needs to be reformed.
Speaking in Iowa, Rubio said that, “We compete globally for talent and we want to ensure we are still capable of doing that. Canada actively recruits against us. They put up billboards that actively tell companies ‘Move your facilities to Canada because we can help you attract the workforce that America can’t keep.’”
CNN’s John Berman is also reporting that Marco Rubio does not want to get rid of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the United States regardless of parental citizenship status.
John Berman: Just this week Donald Trump put out his immigration plan. Among other things, he suggests he would do away with birthright citizenship. That is the notion enshrined to the 14th Amendment to the Constitution that if you are born in the United States, even if your parents were not legal residents, if you are born here, you are a citizen. Donald Trump has suggested to get away with that and just now in Iowa at the Iowa State Fair, Senator Marco Rubio responded. Listen.
Marco Rubio: It’s an important issue. It has been for 20 years for this country, for 30 years. It needs to be addressed, and on multiple fronts though. It’s not just illegal immigration. That’s a significant issue, of course, but we also have a legal immigration system that needs to be reformed. We compete globally for talent and we want to ensure we are still capable of doing that. Canada actively recruits against us. They put up billboards that actively tell companies ‘Move your facilities to Canada because we can help you attract the workforce that America can’t keep.’ So we have to deal with those issues as well.
Berman: So Marco Rubio says the 14th Amendment should not be repealed to do away with birth right citizenship. But it is interesting right now, say what you will about Donald Trump, he is to an extent driving the debate in the Republican field. We’ll stay on this.