We've been critical of Marco Rubio's attempt at a youth immigration bill alternative to the DREAM Act, as we are in any case. Particularly, we've been critical of the source of his ideas, citing an article that links Marco Rubio's legislation to that of the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). Well now, FAIR the sister organization of CIS has come out against the bill. Will CIS follow? More importantly is Marco Rubio feeling the pressure and criticism and garnering the political will to write the legislation bright, undocumented youth deserve?

(flickr: Gage Skidmore)

via Think Progress

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Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), a potential vice president contender and Mitt Romney supporter, is pushing a version of the DREAM Act that would not offer immigrant students a direct path to citizenship. But Romney immigration adviser Kris Kobach, who wrote Arizona’s extreme anti-immigrant laws while he was senior counsel at the legal arm of the anti-immigrant Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), declared the proposed bill to be unacceptable.

And FAIR, where Kobach continues to serve as “of counsel” of their legal arm, is opposing Rubio’s bill as well, deriding the idea as a political gimmick:

Although Rubio denies that his plan is amnesty, it would allow illegal aliens who arrived in the United States prior to age 16 to gain legal status and remain in the U.S. indefinitely. Rubio has also indicated that his DREAM Act would not preclude beneficiaries from gaining citizenship at some future time.

Rubio’s efforts have one clearly stated objective. Republicans believe that introducing their own version of the DREAM Act will help attract Latino voters.

There is an obvious split in the Republican party over immigration policy, and at some point, Romney will have to decide if he stands by his harsh anti-immigrant positions during the GOP primary or if he will try to Etch-a-Sketch them away to appeal to more moderate voters.