WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator Marco Rubio, shifting his tone on the U.S. immigration bill he helped to write, said on Tuesday he is now fully satisfied that the measure will do what it takes to secure the southern border with Mexico. Rubio, a potential presidential contender and the most high-profile Republican backer of immigration reform, had irked supporters of the sweeping Senate immigration bill with public comments in which he consistently said the legislation was not tough enough on border enforcement. The Florida lawmaker was part of the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" senators that in April unveiled the bill that would provide a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants while beefing up border security and creating new guest worker programs for high- and low-skilled workers. The Senate measure appears headed for passage this week, with supporters expecting a strong showing of around 70 votes in favor of it. An amendment on border security crafted by a small group of Republicans has helped to persuade several in the party to give their backing to the bill. At a cost of $46 billion, the amendment would double the number of agents on the southern border to about 40,000 and provide more high-tech surveillance equipment.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 20:40:38 +0000
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