Senator Marco Rubio expressed support for mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, citing estimates of 25-30 million currently in the country illegally.
When asked about Donald Trump’s deportation plan, Rubio agreed large-scale removal was necessary given the high numbers, arguing that no country could sustain such large unauthorized immigration.
NBC’s Kristen Welker said, “If reelected, Donald Trump said he is willing to put migrant detention camps and to deport more than 11 million undocumented immigrants, and it would be the largest deportation plan in American history. Do you support that plan?”
He referred to the situation as an “invasion” and “mass migration” requiring a dramatic response to remove the millions of undocumented people, especially those without documentation, asserting the scope went beyond traditional immigration policy.
Rubio saw large-scale deportation as the only viable solution to addressing the scale of unauthorized presence he cited.
Rubio said, “Eleven million, that was the number ten years ago. We’re talking upwards of 25 to 30 million.”
He added, “The answer to your question is yes. We cannot absorb 25, 30 million people who entered this country illegally. What country on earth would tolerate that? We don’t even know who most of these people are. They’re talking about vetting them, vet what? They’re coming with nations that don’t have document systems. Unfortunately, we’ll have to do something dramatic to remove people from this country that are here illegally, especially people we know nothing about, and 10 million, 11 million was the number 15 years ago. Today, it’s upwards of 25, 30 million, maybe more.”
Rubio said, “This is not immigration. You asked me about immigration. This is mass migration, mass migration. This an invasion of the country, and it needs to be dealt with dramatically.”
