Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., voted with Senate Democrats today to kill an amendment by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, that would have required the federal government to secure the border first before granting legalization to currently illegal immigrants.
All four Republican members of the bipartisan Gang of Eight immigration group voted for Majority Leader Harry Reid’s, D-Nev., motion to table the Grassley amendment.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., who said she would vote for the underlying bill this Sunday, voted with her Republican colleagues for the amendment. Sens. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and Joe Manchin, D-W.V., also joined Republicans to vote for Grassley’s amendment.
Rubio’s vote is not that surprising since he told Univision this Sunday, “Let’s be clear. Nobody is talking about preventing the legalization. The legalization is going to happen. That means the following will happen: First comes the legalization. Then come the measures to secure the border.”