Rubio Teams With Orrin Hatch to Amend Immigration Reform Bill

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., continues to look to amend his immigration reform bill and, on Wednesday, he turned to one of the chambers long serving Republicans for help. U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah teamed with Rubio to offer amendments ensuring newly legalized immigrants will have paid outstanding taxes and prevents them from using tax credits and subsidies related from the federal health-care law for five years after becoming a citizen. The amendments also ensure that unauthorized workers do not receive Social Security benefits.

The vast majority of immigrants who come to America, whether legally or not, come in search of a chance at a better life, not to become dependent on government. The purpose of this immigration bill cannot and should not be to provide as many immigrants as possible with as many government benefits as possible, Rubio said. From the start of this process, the bipartisan group of senators that wrote the bill committed firmly to the principle of no federal benefits. Since the immigration legislation was introduced two months ago, many valid concerns have been raised about ways the American people could potentially get stuck with the bill of fixing our broken immigration system, particularly as it relates to federal benefits.

We must find a way to address these concerns, and Senator Hatch has developed serious and reasonable measures to ensure that this immigration bill reflects the core principle that those who have violated our laws will not receive federal benefits, Rubio continued. Amendments like these are being offered in good faith and should ultimately enjoy broad-based bipartisan support because we simply cannot burden the American taxpayer with the costs of federal benefits being granted to illegal immigrants.

Hatch insisted the new amendments would help appeal to more senators.

As I told my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee, my support in committee did not guarantee my support for the bill on the floor unless further changes were made to make this bill better, Hatch said. These common-sense amendments that Senator Rubio and I are introducing today will go a long way to garner broader support from across America and throughout the Senate for this legislation.

What we are talking about is a basic fairness that those wanting to become American citizens have to play by the rules, just as Americans do today, Hatch added. Who can argue against ensuring that these immigrants pay their back taxes, or that they dont have the right to immediate government benefits? The American people are kind and compassionate, and were a nation of immigrants who came to this land in search of a better life. The overwhelming majority of those that have come to our shores come not in search of a handout from American taxpayers, but rather in search of creating a stronger foundation for themselves and the generations who will come after them.