Latinos in Congress Part 2: An In-Depth Look At Florida Sen. Marco Rubio

In the second installment of "Latinos in Congress," Latinos Post will take an in-depth look at the life and career of Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Rubio is one of three Latino senators in the 113th Congress, along with Democrat Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Republican Ted Cruz of Texas.

Miami native Rubio was born of Cuban immigrants and spent several years in South Florida before moving to Las Vegas. According to the senator's website, he and his family later moved back to Miami, where he now resides with his wife Jeanette and their four children.

Rubio began his senatorial career in 2009 with the Republican Party, after eight years of serving in the House of Representatives (2000-2008). The 41-year-old has worked in several Congressional committees, including the Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship.

During the 2012 presidential campaign of Republican candidate Mitt Romney, Rubio became a star player for his party, as the campaign attempted to appeal to a larger Latino community. Although the campaign eventually failed to win the election, Rubio stood out among several politicians and is now considered a frontrunner for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election.

Since the election, Rubio has been working with fellow Congressional members to decide on the future of the "fiscal cliff." According to Rubio's website, the senator is a proponent of "permanently extending the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts". Despite "talking up the middle class," Rubio ultimately voted against the fiscal cliff bill, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Another issue the Republican Party has looked on Rubio for direction has been the controversial issue of immigration reform. Before the disastrous defeat of Romney, Rubio has advocated a conservative alternative to the DREAM Act called the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors measure.

According to Fox News, the measure is backed by some Democrats and would provide a pathway to citizenship to children who entered the United States illegally if they attend college or join the military.

"We have to come up with an immigration system that honors both our legacy as a nation of laws and also as nation of immigrants," Rubio told The Associated Press.

However, since the election and the commencement of the 113th Congress, Rubio has remained relatively mum on the subject of immigration. How the Republican senator will address the issue in the future remains to be seen, especially if he hopes to secure the nomination for the next presidential election.

In the next installment of "Latinos in Congress," Latinos Post will profile Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey.

Read the first installment of "Latinos in Congress": A Look Into the Diversity of the 113th Congress