Florida Senator Marco Rubio on Thursday
reiterated his opposition to including protections for bi-national
gay couples in a proposed immigration bill he co-authored.
“If this bill has something in it
that gives gay couples immigration rights and so forth, it kills the
bill. I'm done,” Rubio, a Republican, said during an appearance on
The Andrea Tantaros Show. “I'm off it, and I've said that
repeatedly. I don't think that's going to happen and it shouldn't
happen. This is already a difficult enough issue as it is.”
Rubio was referring to an amendment
filed Tuesday by Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat.
Leahy first introduced the amendment in
the Democratic-controlled committee that he chairs. It seeks to
allow a gay American to sponsor an immigrant spouse for citizenship,
which is currently not allowed pursuant to the Defense of Marriage
Act (DOMA). Under threat from Republicans to end their support for
the entire bill, Leahy, with a “heavy heart,” withdrew the
amendment from consideration by the committee.
Leahy is now poised to reintroduce the
amendment on the Senate floor.