The president of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement union is calling on Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida to step down from the Gang of Eight. The bipartisan group of lawmakers is working on immigration overhaul legislation, which could be released next week, and Rubio is considered an important factor in getting conservatives to support the effort.
Chris Crane, of the National ICE Council, is concerned that border enforcement is not the group's first priority. In a statement Friday, he said:
"... The outline from the Gang of 8 offers legalization, or amnesty, before enforcement is accomplished. ... I would then respectfully call on Senator Rubio to follow through on his commitment to the American people — and his pledge to accomplish enforcement before legalization — and to leave the Gang of 8."