Immigration reform: Is Marco Rubio alienating his conservative fans?

The senator from Florida has impressively placated many right-wing critics of immigration reform. But not everyone's happy

Sen. Marco Rubio
(Image credit: Melissa Lyttle/ZUMA Press/Corbis)

Sen. Marco Rubio, the Tea Party favorite from Florida, has become the face of comprehensive immigration reform, embarking on a frenetic media tour in recent days to sell a bipartisan plan to skeptical conservatives. Rubio has gone into the dragon's lair of right-wing radio three times in the past week — meeting with Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin — and emerged largely unscathed, fueling hopes that Congress could pass a plan that would offer a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented workers living in the United States.

Those hopes are shared not only by many Democrats, Latinos, and pro-reform groups, but Republican leaders who are eager to make their party more appealing to one of the country's fastest-growing demographics. However, there have recently been signs of discontent among some conservative stalwarts, a reminder of just how passionately members of the GOP base oppose offering "amnesty" to those who entered the country illegally. And if the base revolts against the bipartisan plan, no politician stands to lose more than Rubio, whose neck is so stuck out on the issue that it may be impossible for him to backtrack.

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Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.