Rubio: Hillary ‘never did anything’ on immigration

Sen. Marco Rubio sharpened his claws Thursday against his top Democratic rival for the White House, criticizing Hillary Clinton for doing nothing “of meaning” on immigration during her tenure.

“I don’t know what her plan is, and she’s never done anything on it of meaning,” the Florida Republican said during an interview with Fox News’s “Outnumbered.”

“She was a U.S. senator and never did anything on it — she’s given speeches about it.”

Rubio also called out Clinton for flip-flopping on the issue, noting that she had spoken out against providing Illegal immigrants with driver’s licenses during her 2008 campaign.

{mosads}“It’s interesting, a couple of months ago, she talked about how she’s in favor of all citizenship, just a few years ago, she wasn’t even in favor of giving them driver’s licenses,” he said.

Pablo Manriguez, the Democratic National Committee’s Hispanic media director, panned the idea that Clinton lacked a plan in a tweet, where he linked to video from Clinton’s recent immigration roundtable in Nevada.

At that event, she said that America “can’t wait any longer for a path to full and equal citizenship,” and added that she would “do everything possible under the law to go even further” if Congress refused to act, praising President Obama’s recent executive actions aimed at reducing deportations.

The immigration issue has been a stumbling block at times for Rubio.

He once worked on the Senate’s compromise immigration bill, which included a path to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally. But when the deal stalled in the House, Rubio walked that support back and said he decided that the best way to address the issue was in a series of steps that secured the border first and then dealt with the status of millions of immigrants.

Rubio also needled Clinton for limiting her media interviews during the early part of her campaign, arguing that it will become an issue for voters.

“Over time, people are beginning to wonder why isn’t she holding herself up to the same standards as people on the other side of the aisle,” he said. 

Mary Jennings, a spokeswoman for Correct the Record, a rapid-response group backing Clinton, criticized Rubio’s record in a statement to The Hill. 

“If anyone has a record of flip-flopping on immigration policies, it’s Marco Rubio,” she said. 

“Hillary Clinton,  on the other hand, has consistently fought throughout her career for immigration reforms to keep families together and embrace America’s heritage as a nation of immigrants.”

– Updated at 6:17 p.m.