Rubio didn’t ask committeewoman to leave meeting; says record clear on immigration

(Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)—Former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Marco Rubio responded to our request for information about GOP committeewoman Lisa Rader being asked to leave an event where he spoke. We wrote about that in our column Mar. 16.

Former speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio's political plans are the subject of much speculation. [Photo from Marco Rubio website.]At our invitation, Rubio responded, “I do not know Ms. Rader, and was not responsible for asking her to leave. I believe the management of the establishment did, but not because I asked them to.” His assertion corresponds to Rader’s claims on that point. Rubio continued, “My position on immigration is clear and well defined.” Rubio also defined his approach.

The former speaker specifically noted two tenets of his platform: “1. I believe we must improve border security dramatically; 2. I do not support Amnesty or any other effort to legalize the status of people who entered the U.S. illegally or who entered legally and have since overstayed their visa.”

We also asked about various articles in newspapers and on some blogs where writers criticized Rubio over various pieces of legislation relating to illegal immigration. “The articles you refer to,” he said, “are about some legislation that was filed in the state legislature last year. They never made it out of their first committee of reference in the House. They also saw very little progress in the Senate as well. Some in the anti-immigration [sic] movement insinuate that I was responsible for blocking movement of the legislation. That is not accurate.” And Rubio further noted not much has changed since. “The fact is I am no longer Speaker and yet that legislation is not going anywhere this year either.”

Florida isn’t the only state frustrated by lack of control over who is in our country. While most of us welcome those who seek asylum or are willing to fill jobs employers say they can’t fill with the local work populace, we are keenly aware that there is no way to tell the difference between people who come into the country without documentation. How do we discern a gang member from a legitimate worker? A drug dealer from someone simply seeking a rosier financial picture? Fact is we can’t if a person has ignored our laws. States have attempted to enact their own legislation and enforce existing federal regulations in light of the federal government’s failure, both past and current, to address the problem.

Rubio has established a website where you can learn more about him. The Miami Herald reported the former speaker had “quietly registered” as a candidate to fill Sen. Mel Martinez’s seat in 2010. The Herald said, “Rubio says he's only ''testing the waters'' and named his campaign account the ''Marco Rubio Senate Exploratory Committee…''

Rader is supporting another candidate for Martinez’s seat.

The Republican Liberty Caucus, a libertarian leaning group who believes governance should adhere consistently to the U.S. Constitution, said Rubio is an invited but unconfirmed guest speaker at the RLC National Convention to be held in Jacksonville Mar. 27-29. Other speakers include Mike Church who hosts the Mike Church show on Sirius Patriot Radio and Lawrence W. Reed, president of the Foundation for Economic Education.