Immigration Reform News 2015: Marco Rubio Vows to Kill Obama Program if Elected President

Potential Republican presidential candidate and Florida Senator Marco Rubio vowed to "end at some point" two key components of President Obama's immigration program if he succeeds in winning the White House in November next year.

In an interview with Spanish TV Univision's "Al Punto" show on Saturday, Rubio once again criticized Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, saying it "cannot be the permanent policy of the United States."

Program host Jorge Ramos asked Rubio if he would keep DACA once he is elected president considering that Republicans find it hard to court Hispanic voters.

"Well, DACA is going to have to end at some point," Rubio said. He added though that he "wouldn't undo it immediately."

"The reason is that there are already people who have that permission, who are working, who are studying, and I don't think it would be fair to cancel it suddenly. But I do think it is going to have to end. And, God willing, it's going to end because immigration reform is going to pass," Rubio said.

Regarding Obama's other immigration initiative called the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, Rubio said this program has actually delayed progress on immigration reform.

"DAPA hasn't yet taken effect, and I think it has impeded progress on immigration, on immigration reform," he said. "And since that program hasn't taken effect yet, I would cancel it."

Rubio said improving the U.S. immigration system is the key.

"But I still say that it's important to modernize our system, and that means improving the way we enforce it in the future, to modernize the immigration system so that it's not so costly and bureaucratic. And we have to deal with 12 million human beings who are already here. And nobody, nobody is advocating a plan to deport 12 million human beings. So that issue has to be dealt with, as well," he said.

He said legalizing 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. is impossible today.

"Well, that can't be done today for the following reason. I don't think we can. We're not going to have the votes or the necessary political support in Congress. Today, in some sectors of the American public, in order to move forward on this issue, unless we first prove to the American people that in the future there's not going to be another immigration crisis," he said.

He added, "If we do that, I think that undoubtedly the political support is going to exist to do legalization as you have said. It has to be a process similar to what we advocated in the legislation that I sponsored, and it's the law that says that, first, the things we're all familiar with must be present: a background check, pay a fine, begin to pay taxes, get a work permit, and after 10 years, they can apply for their residency. That would be the process, but we can't get to that point," Rubio said.