Marco Rubio has concerns about Arizona's new law

Marco Rubio is the former speaker of the Florida House who has taken on the Republican establishment of Florida and pulled ahead of Florida Governor Charlie Crist in the Republican primary campaign for the Senate in 2010. After Rubio pulled ahead of Crist in the polls, Crist withdrew from the race as a Republican and is running as an independent.

While it looks like Rubio could have won the race handidly in a two-man race, with the vote split three ways, the future of this contest is in doubt. Rubio has had wide support from the tea party movement.

For those who tend to believe everything they hear from Limbaugh, Levine, Beck or our own Steve Gill, please consider what Marco Rubio has to say about the new Arizona immigration bill.

Our legal immigration system must continue to welcome those who seek to embrace America’s blessings and abide by the legal and orderly system that is in place. The American people have every right to expect the federal government to secure our borders and prevent illegal immigration. It has become all too easy for some in Washington to ignore the desperation and urgency of those like the citizens of Arizona who are disproportionately wrestling with this problem as well as the violence, drug trafficking and lawlessness that spills over from across the border.

States certainly have the right to enact policies to protect their citizens, but Arizona’s policy shows the difficulty and limitations of states trying to act piecemeal to solve what is a serious federal problem. From what I have read in news reports, I do have concerns about this legislation. While I don’t believe Arizona’s policy was based on anything other than trying to get a handle on our broken borders, I think aspects of the law, especially that dealing with ‘reasonable suspicion,’ are going to put our law enforcement officers in an incredibly difficult position. It could also unreasonably single out people who are here legally, including many American citizens. Throughout American history and throughout this administration we have seen that when government is given an inch it takes a mile.

I hope Congress and the Obama Administration will use the Arizona legislation not as an excuse to try and jam through amnesty legislation, but to finally act on border states’ requests for help with security and fix the things about our immigration system that can be fixed right now – securing the border, reforming the visa and entry process, and cracking down on employers who exploit illegal immigrants.

Will movement conservatives now turn on Rubio and denounce him as a RINO? Please consider that there are valid reasons to have concerns about this bill. I want someone like Rubio in the Senate who has solid conservative values and who is a thoughtful person and who does not approve of laws that would allow the government to trample the rights of citizens. He is the kind of person I think we need in the U. S. Congress. I just sent him a contribution. Click here to contribute to the Rubio campaign.

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