The Secretary of State Marco Rubio distanced himself from the nativist wing of the MAGA movement and defended legal immigration during his speech at the National Lawyers Convention of the Federalist Society, held in Washington D.C. on Thursday, November 13, stating that those who consciously chose to be American are often more patriotic than those born in the country.
The excerpt from the speech, shared on the social media platform X by journalist Emmanuel Rincón the following day, circulated widely and sparked a debate about the direction of the Republican Party following its defeat in the legislative elections on November 3, in which the Democrats regained control of the House and the Senate.
"Some of the most patriotic people in this country —and this is not a criticism of anyone— but some of the most patriotic people you will ever meet are those who are American by choice, not those who are American by birth," Rubio stated before the audience of conservative lawyers.
Las declaraciones de Rubio abren un debate más amplio sobre el futuro de la política migratoria en EE.UU. Sigue toda la actualidad en nuestra sección de
The secretary explained the reasoning from his own experience: "I have lived in the United States all my life. I was born in the United States, I grew up here. I don't know what life is like elsewhere. But when you meet someone who knows what it’s like to live in a society where you don't have not only political freedoms, but where your own future is determined the day you are born by what your parents did and whether or not they had connections, they know that life in this country is special."
Rubio concluded that line of argument with a reflection that speaks directly to the internal Republican debate: "Americans by choice, the people who did it the right way and decided to be Americans, often understand how special this country is more than someone like me, who was even born here and has never had to live under a different system. And I think we also need to listen more to those voices."
The speech carries a biographical weight that is hard to ignore. Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants —Mario Rubio Reina and Oriales García Rubio— who came to the United States in 1956 and became naturalized citizens in 1975. His father worked as a banquet waiter, and his mother in hotels and factories. His grandfather firsthand conveyed the impact of communism in Cuba, an experience that shaped his political outlook from a young age.
The secretary became, in January 2025, the first Hispanic to lead the State Department, confirmed by the Senate with 99 votes in favor and none against.
Rubio's words come at a time of deep internal crisis for the Republican Party. The setbacks of November 3 were particularly pronounced in predominantly Latino districts in South Texas, reigniting the debate over whether the nativism of the MAGA wing has alienated Hispanic and independent voters.
The Republican strategist Whit Ayres pointed out that the non-MAGA sector already constitutes a majority within the party, while Steve Bannon warned of a potential "civil war" within.
In that scenario, Rubio emerges as a bridging figure between traditional conservatism and the MAGA base. An Emerson College poll from May 2026 showed him virtually tied with Vice President JD Vance — 35% to 36% — as the leading Republican candidate for 2028.
Analysts from Politico and Newsweek interpret his appearance at the Federalist Society as a deliberate ideological stance: to defend legal immigration and assimilation as pillars of national identity, while not abandoning the border control and sovereignty rhetoric characteristic of Trumpism, and with a biographical profile that positions him to regain lost Latino votes in the upcoming elections.
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