Thread: Rubio Targeted By Immigrant Advocates Ahead Of Primary

miami.cbslocal.com
CBSMiami/The Associated Press
January 27, 2012 8:04 AM


Marco Rubio

DORAL (CBSMiami/AP) – Despite being considered a powerful Hispanic political player and rising star in his party, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio does have plenty of critics in South Florida, some of whom plan to let their voices be heard Friday at a high-profile appearance for the South Florida Senator.

Grassroots advocates are targeting Rubio over his support for Arizona’s immigration law and other policies.

The nonprofit group Presente is leading the “No Somos Rubios” (We are not Rubios) campaign. It plans to protest and fly an airplane over the Hispanic Leadership Network’s conference Friday at the Doral Country Club. Rubio and the top GOP presidential candidates are speaking there.

The campaign is a play on Rubio’s name. Rubio means blond in Spanish. Presente says it’s a reference to the rising GOP star’s association with the mostly white tea party, which tends to oppose any path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Presente launched in 2009 with its successful campaign to get CNN’s Lou Dobbs off the network over disparaging remarks about Hispanics.

Rubio Targeted By Immigrant Advocates Ahead Of Primary « CBS Miami

First, the more accurate title for this blurb would be
Rubio Targeted By ILLEGAL Immigrant Advocates Ahead Of Primary

Second, these illegal alien invasion supporter should be very happy with Senator Marco Rubio for blocking every piece of immigration enforcement legislation submitted by American patriots in Florida over the last several years.

W

Protesters disrupt US senator over immigration


Jan 27 12:29 PM US/Eastern



Student protesters disrupted a speech Friday by US Senator Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American and rising Republican star, accusing him of "anti-immigrant" positions.

Rubio was addressing a Hispanic leadership conference at a golf resort near Miami about the American dream when students in the audience rose up and shouted, "Then why don't you support the immigrants?"

The protesters, including some undocumented immigrants, also brandished signs that said: "Marco Rubio - Latino or Tea Partino?" and "Your party or your people?"

Some in the audience booed the protesters, and others applauded, while Rubio encouraged the audience to let them have their say.

"I've challenged the Republican nominees and all Republicans to not just be the anti-immigration party but to be the pro-legal immigration party, a party that has a positive platform and agenda on how we can create legal immigration," Rubio said.

But Rubio, 40, opposes a proposed law called the Dream Act, which would grant permanent residency to undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as children, graduated from high school and lived in the United States continuously for five years.

About 65,000 students without proper papers graduate from high school in the United States each year, according to White House estimates.

The Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank, estimates that as many as 726,000 people would benefit from the law.

Protesters disrupt US senator over immigration