Rubio favors piecemeal immigration approach over comprehensive bill

Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) office, in a statement Monday, said Congress should be open to passing a series of immigration bills rather than attempting to pass the comprehensive legislation Rubio authored and the Senate passed earlier this year.

Rubio spokesman Alex Conant said those who favor comprehensive immigration reform need to be realistic about what Congress can pass. He noted that the Senate has passed a comprehensive bill, but that conservatives in the House are afraid of passing smaller bills for fear that the issue would go to conference committee and a comprehensive bill would result.

Conant said the House would be more apt to act if they were assured that a conference committee wouldn't focus only on the legislation that passed in the House and wouldn't produce a larger bill akin to the Senate package.