Rubio raises $2.3M in 1st quarter amid immigration debate

Senior aides to Sen. Marco Rubio tell Fox News they just had their best fundraising quarter in two years.

According to the aides, Rubio raised for his PAC and his re-election committee more than $2.3 million in the first quarter of 2013.

They also report that the campaign: 

-- Identified more than 15,000 new donors

-- Raised money from all 50 states

-- Received more than half of that money from low-dollar donors

The campaign raised more in the first quarter than they did in all of last year. Though Rubio is not up for re-election in Florida until 2016, the surge comes as the Republican senator plays a key role in negotiating immigration legislation, which is expected to be introduced Tuesday.

The average for a politician to raise in an "off-cycle" year is a few hundred thousand dollars, max.

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ICE union calls on Rubio to leave 'Gang of 8' immigration talks

The union representing thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees is calling on Republican Sen. Marco Rubio to leave the tight-knit group negotiating an immigration overhaul.

Rubio is considered the most politically vital member of the so-called "Gang of Eight," since his support could give conservatives cover to ultimately vote for legislation Congress for years has struggled to pass. Rubio is one of four Republicans in the group, which is preparing to introduce legislation in a matter of days.

But National ICE Council President Chris Crane issued a lengthy statement Friday saying the union is not confident the bill would address the flow of illegal immigration. He specifically raised concern that, based on the assessment of one Democratic member, the plan could legalize millions of illegal immigrants before enforcing border security.

"I would then respectfully call on Senator Rubio to follow through on his commitment to the American people -- and his pledge to accomplish enforcement before legalization -- and to leave the Gang of 8," Crane said in a statement.

The proposal, though, is said to ratchet up border surveillance and make other security changes. Rubio spokesman Alex Conant, in response to the ICE union statement, said the forthcoming proposal is "the start of the process."

"Our hope is that rather than attacking something they haven't seen, people will give good-faith consideration to the proposal after it's introduced and suggest ways to improve it," he said. "The border security and enforcement measures in our proposal will result in the toughest immigration and border enforcement in U.S. history. There will be tough but achievable hurdles that tie border security directly to the pathway to citizenship, and if these triggers are not part of the legislation, there won't be a bipartisan deal."

Rubio has so far defended the Gang of Eight, while vowing to push for an open process once the bill is introduced. He has demanded that border enforcement be embedded in the language of the bill -- though there are lingering questions over how closely that would be tied to a plan to put illegal immigrants on a path to potential citizenship.

The ICE union also complains that the senators and the White House have not included them in talks on the bill, though unions and other advocacy groups have been involved.

View the original article here

Rubio raises $2.3M in 1st quarter amid immigration debate

Senior aides to Sen. Marco Rubio tell Fox News they just had their best fundraising quarter in two years.

According to the aides, Rubio raised for his PAC and his re-election committee more than $2.3 million in the first quarter of 2013.

They also report that the campaign: 

-- Identified more than 15,000 new donors

-- Raised money from all 50 states

-- Received more than half of that money from low-dollar donors

The campaign raised more in the first quarter than they did in all of last year. Though Rubio is not up for re-election in Florida until 2016, the surge comes as the Republican senator plays a key role in negotiating immigration legislation, which is expected to be introduced Tuesday.

The average for a politician to raise in an "off-cycle" year is a few hundred thousand dollars, max.

View the original article here

ICE union calls on Rubio to leave 'Gang of 8' immigration talks

The union representing thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees is calling on Republican Sen. Marco Rubio to leave the tight-knit group negotiating an immigration overhaul.

Rubio is considered the most politically vital member of the so-called "Gang of Eight," since his support could give conservatives cover to ultimately vote for legislation Congress for years has struggled to pass. Rubio is one of four Republicans in the group, which is preparing to introduce legislation in a matter of days.

But National ICE Council President Chris Crane issued a lengthy statement Friday saying the union is not confident the bill would address the flow of illegal immigration. He specifically raised concern that, based on the assessment of one Democratic member, the plan could legalize millions of illegal immigrants before enforcing border security.

"I would then respectfully call on Senator Rubio to follow through on his commitment to the American people -- and his pledge to accomplish enforcement before legalization -- and to leave the Gang of 8," Crane said in a statement.

The proposal, though, is said to ratchet up border surveillance and make other security changes. Rubio spokesman Alex Conant, in response to the ICE union statement, said the forthcoming proposal is "the start of the process."

"Our hope is that rather than attacking something they haven't seen, people will give good-faith consideration to the proposal after it's introduced and suggest ways to improve it," he said. "The border security and enforcement measures in our proposal will result in the toughest immigration and border enforcement in U.S. history. There will be tough but achievable hurdles that tie border security directly to the pathway to citizenship, and if these triggers are not part of the legislation, there won't be a bipartisan deal."

Rubio has so far defended the Gang of Eight, while vowing to push for an open process once the bill is introduced. He has demanded that border enforcement be embedded in the language of the bill -- though there are lingering questions over how closely that would be tied to a plan to put illegal immigrants on a path to potential citizenship.

The ICE union also complains that the senators and the White House have not included them in talks on the bill, though unions and other advocacy groups have been involved.

View the original article here

Reagan to GOP: Stop The Outrageous Message on Immigration

"Round ‘em up and ship ‘em home ... ." Michael Reagan says that's the wrong message on immigration. Appearing on Fox News' "American's News Headquarters," Reagan, who is the eldest son of former President Ronald Reagan and the founder of the Reagan Group, says some members of the GOP must stop making outrageous statements regarding immigration.

Reagan says Republicans need to look at his father as a model of how to tackle the problems concerning the nation's immigration laws. "You need to be embracing Ronald Reagan and not just talking about him," he said. "He was inclusive, not exclusive. The Republican Party right now is sounding like they are exclusive, not inclusive."

Reagan goes beyond that, saying: "There are parts of the ‘Dream Act' that even Ronald Reagan would in fact support. And he as president would bring people into the White House and find areas of agreement." That approach, he says, eludes President Obama. Referring to President Obama, Reagan says "he doesn't want to lose the Senate in 2014. He's trying to make this a wedge issue to take back the House of Representatives."

Reagan continued by saying the first step is to secure the border. He says his father, who died in 2004, is still waiting for that to happen. "Back in '86, people might remember the argument was: If we don't secure the border but give amnesty, it's going to just give us a great influx of more illegals in this country. That's exactly what happened. That's what we need to do first. Take care of the border. Then you start dealing with the 11 million people who are here (illegally)."

On the concept of self-deportation, Reagan says that is simply absurd. "To think that people are just going to willy-nilly come forward, you know people who have broken the law, are just going to show up and be shipped home, it's just stupid on its face."But reform doesn't stop at border security. Reagan says the entire system must be revamped. "You have to fix the whole immigration policy in the United States of America," he said. "You can't stand in line 10 and 15 years to get into America. That's why the brains are going to other countries in the world that seem to want them. America doesn't seem to want anybody anymore."

View the original article here