As the Republican presidential primary heats up, illegal immigration is again taking center stage. While this is nothing new (as we know President
Reagan attempted to address it in the '80s, John
McCain made it a priority in '08, and on), the discussion has taken an interesting turn this election cycle.
At issue, of course, are
Obama's executive amnesty, the recent influx of illegal immigrants (including
huge numbers of children), the vast number of illegals currently living and working in the U.S., border security (such as it is), and a host of related issues including the
burden of illegal immigration on tax payers in terms of jobs, health care, schooling, police and judicial involvement, and various entitlement costs.
Marco Rubio's involvement with the Gang of Eight, particularly his decision to work closely with Chuck Schumer, has not gone unnoticed by either the conservative base nor by the other presidential hopefuls.