Marco Rubio: Gang Of Eight ‘Was the Best We Could Do’ In Senate at That Time

Speaking to voters in South Carolina, Sen. Marco Rubio defended his participation in the Senate Gang Of Eight immigration reform bill, arguing that the bill that passed in the Senate as written wasn’t the final draft of the law that would be signed by President Obama.

“The Senate immigration law was not headed toward becoming law. Ideally it was headed towards the House where conservative members of the House were going to make it even better,” he said. “It was the best we could do given the fact of who was running the Senate at the time.”

Rubio was questioned by a voter about his previous support for the bill during a town hall in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

But Rubio insisted that he “complained about” about the weakness of the bill after it passed the Senate, even though at the time he worked to promote the bill among conservatives.

He explained that the Gang of Eight bill was a “starting point” and not at all what he would do if elected president.

“When I’m president, we’re not doing anything until illegal immigration is under control and we’ve secured our border,” he said. “And until that happens, nothing else is going to happen. Period.”