Free Republic

It wasn’t long ago that conservative proponents of comprehensive immigration reform were insisting that the idea is popular among Republican voters. In 2014, the Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin told us, “nope, immigration reform [isn’t] toxic” and that “the anti-immigration forces are loud but in the distinct minority” within the Republican party. To be fair, Rubin and others of the same view backed up their claim with poll data, but they didn’t persuade me. I remembered how, during the 2012 primary season, Republican presidential candidates, whose polling operations have an enormous interest in being right, treated immigration reform as “toxic” indeed....

Marco Rubio is a U.S. senator. And he just can’t stand it anymore. “I don’t know that ‘hate’ is the right word,” Rubio said in an interview. “I’m frustrated.” This year, as Rubio runs for president, he has cast the Senate — the very place that cemented him as a national politician — as a place he’s given up on, after less than one term. It’s too slow. Too rule-bound. So Rubio, 44, has decided not to run for his seat again. It’s the White House or bust. “That’s why I’m missing votes. Because I am leaving the Senate. I...

Marco Rubio is a U.S. senator. And he just can’t stand it anymore. “I don’t know that ‘hate’ is the right word,” Rubio said in an interview. “I’m frustrated.” This year, as Rubio runs for president, he has cast the Senate — the very place that cemented him as a national politician — as a place he’s given up on, after less than one term. It’s too slow. Too rule-bound. So Rubio, 42, has decided not to run for his seat again. It’s the White House or bust. “That’s why I’m missing votes. Because I am leaving the Senate. I...

Marco Rubio once looked like the Republican savior over immigration. Now, to some conservatives, he seems as trustworthy as a door-to-door salesman. From the right-wing talk-show hosts to local activists at town halls, many conservatives say they’re upset that Rubio’s talk and deeds conflict over comprehensive immigration reform. “The problem is he sold this based on talking points,” said Jason Hoyt, an Orlando tea party activist, summing up the discomfort many conservatives have with the Florida Republican senator. “He had four or five talking points, which sounded pretty good,” Hoyt said. “But then we saw the bill, and it was...

In advance of a critical vote Monday on a border security deal offered by Republican Sens. Bob Coker and John Hoeven, the president of the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement union urged senators to vote ‘no’ on the amendment. National ICE Council President Chris Crane issued an aggressive statement calling on lawmakers to vote “no” on the amendment to the Senate’s immigration reform bill and called out Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio for misleading law enforcement on promises of more interior enforcement. “Senator Corker — a lead sponsor of the 1,200 page amendment being voted on today — has admitted that...