Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “The Ingraham Angle,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) was asked by host Laura Ingraham where he stood on immigration — if it was in line with a proposal from Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), or one in line from Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and David Perdue (R-GA).
Rubio said he wasn’t aware of the specifics of those proposals, but offered his views, which included a border wall, ending the diversity lottery and instituting a merit-based system.
“I can tell you what I believe in — I believe we do have to build a wall and improve our overall security like at airports with entry-exit,” he said. “I believe we should end the diversity lottery. I’ve been saying that for about five years. I believe we should move toward a merit-based system of immigration. I believe that we should find a way like the president asked, to deal with the people — or many of the people — that find themselves under a DACA designation. And I think the big debate is how do you put all of that together. And the way I view it is the president’s number one priority is border security. The Democrats are insisting on DACA.”
“And so in order to get it passed in this sort of framework we’re in now — each side is going to have to get something,” he continued. “But what else gets in there is what the debate has been about. And I support ending the diversity lottery. I think we should admit people to the United States based on what they’re going to contribute to the United States. And that’s why I’ve long called on a merit-based system of immigration irrespective of what country you’re coming from. It shouldn’t be country-based. It should be person-based.”
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