[p]Sen. Marco Rubio today rejected the bipartisan immigration reform plan to be presented this week, as being an amnesty for the estimated eleven million undocumented immigrants that are in the United States.

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During a series of interviews on Sunday political programs like "Meet the Press" on NBC. Rubio said that "amnesty is forgiveness for something" and that "there will be consequences for those who violated the law."

He also indicated that the proposal includes measures to strengthen border security and that immigrants will have to meet certain requirements, such as a rigorous background check before they can apply for legal status within ten years, which then they could eventually apply for citizenship after.

"I think it's important to understand that this project gives nothing away. It allows people access to the legal immigration system," said Rubio on ABC's "This Week."

In this sense he emphasized that this will give people a chance to enter the process to apply for temporary legal status, which "does not mean that it will be granted on the very first day."

"There is a process for that" said the senator, who pointed out that immigrants have to pay application fees, a fine, and also pay taxes while they have this temporary status and "prove they are not a burden on society." Throughout the process time period, immigrants will not have access to federal benefits.

"The only thing that they are gaining is an opportunity to apply for temporary status, and ultimately the possibility to apply for a green card," he added.

According to some sections of text that is expected to be presented on Tuesday and that was leaked to the press. The plan will have a deadline for legal status adjustment, which as a result will leave out hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from this process that entered the United States after December 31, 2011.

Rubio said that those who are waiting to enter the United States legally, "no one who has entered the wrong way will get it before they do."

Editorial@sandiegored.com

Omar.Martinez@sandiegored.com