Rubio, in Appeal to G.O.P.'s Conscience, Urges Compromise on Dream Act

New York Times: With Republicans increasingly concerned about losing Hispanic voters this November, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida on Thursday pressed his party to embrace a compromise measure allowing young illegal immigrants a pathway to legal status. At a meeting with reporters in his Senate office, Mr. Rubio, a rising Republican star considered a leading vice-presidential prospect for Mitt Romney, sought to appeal to the conscience of his party as he laid out the broad parameters of a measure that would not go as far as the Democratic proposal to legalize young illegal immigrants, but would be significantly more permissive than anything most Republican politicians have been willing to accept. “We have these very talented young people in America who find themselves in limbo through no fault of their own,” said Mr. Rubio, acknowledging that he has kept the Romney campaign apprised of his actions. “Mitt Romney is the leader of the Republican Party now. Our hope is to come up with something that he can be supportive of,” he said. The Rubio push comes as Mr. Romney tries to shift from the hard-line stance he took during the primary fight to a softer position that could erode President Obama’s overwhelming edge with Hispanic voters. Republican strategists fear Mr. Obama’s advantage — hovering around two-thirds of the Hispanic vote — could kill Republican chances in crucial states like Colorado and Nevada, swing Virginia to the Democratic column and keep the president’s hopes alive in Florida. At a closed-door fund-raiser in Florida overheard by reporters, Mr. Romney acknowledged the jeopardy he faces if that advantage remains. “We have to get Hispanic voters to vote for our party,” he told donors, warning that recent polling “spells doom for us.” The Romney campaign appears to have begun shifting to the center on immigration, after staking out a position to the right of opponents like former Speaker Newt Gingrich and Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. During the primary fight, Mr. Romney said he would veto the existing version of the Dream Act, or the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, which would grant illegal immigrants brought into the country as children by their parents a pathway to citizenship. He labeled it a magnet for illegal immigration. And he criticized Mr. Perry for granting young illegal immigrants in-state tuition to Texas universities. On Thursday, campaign aides said Mr. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, was not referring to the most draconian portions of Arizona’s immigration law when he said during a debate that Arizona could be a model for the nation. He was referring specifically to the “E-Verify” measure that requires employers to check the legal status of job applicants electronically. Last weekend, in a comprehensive list of advisers provided to The Boston Globe, the Romney campaign did not include Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state and co-author of the Arizona immigration law. During the primary campaign, the Romney campaign had referred to Mr. Kobach as an “informal adviser.” Indeed, Senator Rubio’s prominence as a potential running mate lies in large part because as a Cuban-American he could appeal to Latino voters, especially in his crucial home state. Mr. Rubio again said he did not want the position, although he suggested instead he could be open to higher office in 2016. The Romney campaign reacted cautiously to Mr. Rubio’s appeal on the Dream Act. “Governor Romney will study and consider any proposals on immigration from his Republican partners,” said Andrea Saul, a campaign spokeswoman. “We must work together on protecting and strengthening legal immigration, securing our borders, ending illegal immigration in a civil but resolute manner, and ensuring that any reforms do not encourage further illegal immigration.” As part of his compromise, Mr. Rubio said he favored giving nonimmigrant visas to young illegal immigrants brought into the country by a certain date, who have graduated from high school and have no criminal record. Once the visas are secured, they would be able to work, get an education and decide on their own whether to begin the standard process to become citizens. “They would have the same rights, no more, no less, than any other nonimmigrant visa holder,” he said. The Democratic version of the legislation would create a specific pathway to citizenship through military or community service, effectively giving young illegal immigrants a step up on some legal immigrants. In December 2010, the bill — which has long garnered bipartisan support — had 55 votes in support but fell to a filibuster. Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, reintroduced it in the new Congress, but for the first time since it was drafted in 2001 by Mr. Durbin and Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah, it had no Republican co-sponsors. Important details of a Rubio version remain unresolved. He said there was broad agreement that military service with an honorable discharge should afford an illegal immigrant special status in the quest for citizenship. But he has not decided about other avenues of public service. He also does not have an arrival date beyond which young illegal immigrants could not apply for his visa. But he said such details would be worked out with members of both parties, including Senator Durbin, who has been open to talks. Many Republicans are likely to stand in Mr. Rubio’s way. Representative Steve King of Iowa, one of the party’s strongest voices against illegal immigration, said Congress must first “re-establish the rule of law” with illegal immigrants before offering any of them legal status. Mr. Rubio’s proposal would simply do the Democrats’ political bidding, Mr. King said. Democrats “see people in this country illegally as undocumented Democrats,” Mr. King said Thursday. “Do Republicans engage in that?”