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UNIVISION NEWS TRANSCRIPT
Program:
Al Punto with Jorge Ramos
Content:
Interview with Senator Marco Rubio
Air Date:
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Key
JR: Jorge Ramos
SMR: Senator Marco Rubio
JR: Senator Marco Rubio, thank you for speaking with us.
SMR: Thank you very much, Jorge.
JR: Senator, in your book you talk about how excited you were by Barack
Obama’s campaign. Nonetheless, Barack Obama did not run as an African
-American candidate. You have decided not to run as a Hispanic candidate. Why?
SMR:
Well, obviously I’m Hispanic. My heritage, that of my parents, both of
them were from Cuba, and obviously, I was raised in a Hispanic community. I think that my message and our policies are policies that app
ly to every American. There’s no doubt
that the Hispanic community is a community of hardworking people, people who are seeking to improve their lives. I do think that our message has a special impact on that community because many of them identify with th
at story. But I obviously think that it’s
a message that applies to everyone and that a president has to work for everyone.
JR: As you know, it has always been hard for Republicans to get the Hispanic vote. I wanted to talk with you about very concrete issues that affect Hispanics directly. I would like to start with the issue of deferred action and DACA. If you made it to the White House, would you keep the DACA program; that is, Deferred Action for the
Dreamers, and would you keep President Barack Obama’s executive action, which would
benefit more than four million undocumented people?
SMR:
Well, DACA is going to have to end at some point. I wouldn’t undo it
immediately. The reason is that there are already people who have that permission, who
are working, who are studying, and I don’t think it would be fair to cancel it su
ddenly.
But I do think it is going to have to end. And, God willing, it’s going to end because immigration reform is going to pass. DAPA hasn’t yet taken effect, and I think it has
impeded progress on immigration, on immigration reform. And since that prog
ram hasn’t taken effect yet, I would cancel it. But DACA, I think it is important; it can’t be cancelled
suddenly because there are already people who are benefitting from it. But it is going to have to end. It cannot be the permanent policy of the United
States. And I don’t think that’s what they’re asking for, either. I think that everyone prefers immigration reform.
JR: But then, to clarify, you would end DACA once immigration reform is approved. But what happens, Senator, if there is no immigration reform? Would you cancel DACA anyway?
SMR:
At some point it’s going to have to end. That is, it cannot continue to be
the permanent policy of the United States. I do think that if I wind up being president, it will be possib
le to achieve new immigration reform. It won’t be possible for it to be
comprehensive; that is, they are not going to be able to do everything in one massive bill.
We already tried that a couple of years ago. We have seen that the political support isn’t
t
here, and I think we’ve spent a lot of time on this process when we could have started
moving forward through the three steps that I advocated. Unfortunately, a lot of time has been wasted on that. It has become an even more controversial issue; harder to move
forward on that issue. But I still say that it’s important to modernize our system, and that
means improving the way we enforce it in the future, to modernize the immigration
system so that it’s not so costly and bureaucratic. And we have to deal with
12 million human beings who are already here. And nobody, nobody is advocating a plan to deport 12 million human beings. So that issue has to be dealt with, as well.
JR: When you announced your candidacy, outside of the building where you announced it, there were a lot of Dreamers, protesting. And then there are some
immigrant organizations that have criticized your candidacy. America’s Voice says that
you have anti-immigrant positions. I would like to ask you, you were in favor of an immigration reform bill in the Senate, and you voted for it. But today, would you vote in favor of a path to legalization for 11 million undocumented people?
SMR:
Well, that can’t be done today for the following reason. I don’t think we
can. I have been very clear. I, through that two-
year experience, it’s very clear to me. We’re not going to have the votes or the necessary political support in Congress. Today,
in some sectors of the American public, in order to move forward on this issue, unless we
first prove to the American people that in the future there’s not going to be another
immigration crisis. If we do that, I think that undoubtedly the political support is going to exist to do legalization as you have said. It has to be a process similar to what we
advocated in the legislation that I sponsored, and it’s the law that says that, first, the things we’re all familiar with must be present: a background check, pay a fine, begin to
pay taxes, get a work permit, and after 10 years, they can apply for their residency. That
would be the process, but we can’t get to that point. Politically, the support and the votes
in Congress aren’t there until we prove to those members of Congress and the American
people that immigration laws are going to be enforced.
JR:
Senator, I want to ask you about Cuba. I know it’s an issue close to your
heart, since both your parents are Cuban immigrants. Nonetheless, the majority of Cuban-Americans agree with ending the embargo, and they also agree, according to the polls, with this new approach of President Barack Obama to Cuba. If you reached the White House and were president, would you cut relations with Cuba? And what do you think
about President Barack Obama’s calling Raúl Castro “president”?
SMR:
Well, he isn’t a president. He can call himself whatever he likes, but Raúl Castro hasn’t been elected to absolutely anything. He is tyrant and a dictator. In terms of
relations with Cuba, right? I would like to have relations with a free, democratic Cuba, or
a country that’s making progress toward that. And that doesn’t exist. The Cuban people are the only people in Latin America who haven’t had free elections in more than 50
years. I think that is unfair, and I think the Cuban people deserve that. In my opinion, I
say that it’s still a government that supports terrorism. Just today we’ve seen, this week we’ve seen the news that the FARC have again kidnapped and killed 10 people in
Colombia. That is a group that receives help and support and shelter from the Cuban government.
JR:
Would you cut relations with Cuba? If you reach the White House, you’ll
cut relations?
SMR:
Unless it’s a democratic country or it starts taking concrete steps toward
democracy, of course.
JR: Senator, you are the youngest candidate among those who have run or will run, 43 years old. But
—
SMR: 44 next month, Jorge.
JR: 44 next month. However, you have certain positions; fo
r example, you’re
against same-sex marriage, which is not what most young people believe in, according to the polls. Are you afraid of being portrayed in the media as an old young man, as some people in Latin America say?
SMR:
Well, I don’t believe that’s true. A significant percentage of Americans
support my position on marriage between a woman and a man. I understand that there are discrepancies and a change of attitude, and I believe that if people want to change the laws about marriage in a democracy, in a republic, they can do so through their state legislatures. The states have always regulated marriage and can continue to do so. I believe that if the attitude in the country has changed, well, there is a democratic process
through which they can make that change. What I don’t support is for the courts to determine this issue because I don’t think it’s up to the courts. I think it’s up to the