FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

21 October 2011

Phoenix, AZ — SOMOS REPUBLICANS has been asking Senator Marco Rubio to get on the right side of the immigration issue for months.   In a recent story, Washington Post showed documents — including naturalization papers and other official records — reveals that the Florida Republican’s account embellishes the facts of his immigrant history. The documents show that Rubio’s parents came to the United States and were admitted for permanent residence more than 2¹ / ₂years before Castro’s forces overthrew the Cuban government and took power on New Year’s Day 1959.   Rubio has held himself out to be a son of Cuban exiles but the evidence shows he is nothing of the sort.

We believe Rubio knew when and how his parents arrived here in the U.S.   Are his parents economic immigrants? How did his parents leave Cuba originally and arrive here in the U.S.? Did they overstay their visa?  How did they then immigrate given that the Cuban Adjustment Act was not even around before Castro came to power?

Rubio has supported harsh anti-immigration laws and enforcement only policies.  In fact, Rubio and Republican Texas Congressman Lamar Smith have sponsored a large government idea via National E-verify.

In light of the Washington Post story, we believe it is time to find out the complete history of his parents’ immigration history.  It is also time for Rubio to be a leader and help Senator Bob Menendez fix the broken immigration system.  We have already presented our position to fix the broken immigration system to Democratic and Republican Senators with a significant amount of support from Democrats.  We were told by Rubio’s office he would not support our position.  We are asking him to reconsider his anti-immigrant position in providing a solution to the broken immigration system under the Obama administration.  This is the federal government’s responsibility and even though this is a tough issue to fix, it must be done.  Rubio must show leadership and work on a bipartisan secure borders and legal immigration plan with Menendez.  This is not a Democratic or Republican issue – this is an American issue as we continue to be that Shining City on a Hill.

During a speech, President Ronald Reagan said:

“I think its time we ask ourselves if we still know the freedoms that were intended for us by the founding fathers. Not too long ago 2 friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a business man who had excaped from Castro.  And in the midst of one of his stories, my friends turned to the other and said, ‘we don’t know how lucky we are.’  And the Cuban stopped and said, ‘How lucky YOU are, I had some place to escape to.’ In that sentence he told us the entire story.”

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