Marco Rubio on immigration: Border security comes first

Marco Rubio still supports legal status and a slow road to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, but now says the government must convince Americans the border is secure before taking those steps.

"The key that unlocks our ability to make progress on immigration is to prove to the American people that illegal immigration is under control," Rubio told The Des Moines Register's editorial board on Saturday morning during his first visit to Iowa as a declared candidate for president.

The Republican U.S. senator from Florida was a key player in crafting the 2013 comprehensive immigration reform legislation that cleared the Senate but failed in the House. Rubio's involvement raised his national profile, but damaged his standing with some conservatives he now must court in Iowa's first-in-the-nation presidential preference caucuses.

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On Saturday, Rubio acknowledged that public appetite for immigration reform is lower than it was even two years ago, necessitating a different approach.

That approach must focus first and foremost on security and efforts that will prevent new migrants from entering or remaining in the country illegally, he said. He and other senators "underestimated" the lack of trust Americans have in the federal government to secure the border.

Gaining back trust will require boosting security along the U.S.-Mexico border, instituting a workable electronic employment verification system in which employers check prospective workers' immigration status, and developing a better tracking system for people who enter the country legally to ensure they don't overstay their visas.

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With those measures in place, Rubio said, he would support instituting a process in which immigrants currently living in the country illegally could receive permanent residency and ultimately citizenship after undergoing background checks, paying fines and back taxes and waiting several years.

Data suggest that the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States peaked in 2008 at more than 12 million and since has declined, while new arrivals have fallen every year since 2000.

Rubio said Saturday those trends are based more on economic conditions than border enforcement and other factors. Shifts in the demographics of undocumented immigrants and last year's brief surge in minors illegally crossing the border underscore the need for enhanced security, he said.

"The fact that there's been a slowdown is not because of enforcement," he said. "It's been because of economic factors in the U.S. that made less jobs available. But as soon as there's any economic recovery here, you're going to see those numbers go up again."