--- title: Paris Attacks: Rand Paul Criticizes Marco Rubio description: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul seized on Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris to criticize GOP presidential rival Sen. Marco Rubio Saturday. canonical: https://time.com/4113253/paris-attacks-rand-paul-marco-rubio/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-14T20:23:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:00:56.771Z article:section: Politics og:title: Rand Paul Uses Paris Attacks to Criticize Marco Rubio og:description: Over an immigration vote. og:url: https://time.com/4113253/paris-attacks-rand-paul-marco-rubio/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd80f2780b628fbc5/698871203c163984e245ab82/rand-paul-marco-rubio-immigration.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks during the Republican Presidential Debate sponsored by Fox Business and the Wall Street Journal at the Milwaukee Theatre November 10, 2015 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rand Paul Uses Paris Attacks to Criticize Marco Rubio twitter:description: Over an immigration vote. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd80f2780b628fbc5/698871203c163984e245ab82/rand-paul-marco-rubio-immigration.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Rand Paul Uses Paris Attacks to Criticize Marco Rubio by [Zeke J Miller / Orlando, Fla.](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke J Miller / Orlando, Fla. Nov 14, 2015 8:23 PM UTC  Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks during the Republican Presidential Debate sponsored by Fox Business and the Wall Street Journal at the Milwaukee Theatre November 10, 2015 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks during the Republican Presidential Debate sponsored by Fox Business and the Wall Street Journal at the Milwaukee Theatre November 10, 2015 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Scott Olson—Getty Images by [Zeke J Miller / Orlando, Fla.](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke J Miller / Orlando, Fla. Nov 14, 2015 8:23 PM UTC Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul seized on Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris to criticize GOP presidential rival Sen. Marco Rubio Saturday. Speaking at a Republican presidential forum in Orlando, Paul said Rubio’s opposition to one of his amendments to the 2013 Gang of Eight immigration bill, which would have enhanced screening requirements for those entering the country, damaged national security. “Two, three years ago, I introduced a bill, or an amendment, to the immigration bill that would have provided for more scrutiny of people coming into our country: refugees, immigrants, students,” Paul said, when asked about his response to Friday’s attacks. “They would have had background checks and they would have had a much higher degree of scrutiny. And the point I made in my speech was, I introduced this to Rubio and (Democratic Sen. Chuck) Schumer’s immigration bill and then Rubio and Schumer and all of the authors voted against any conservative amendments. And I think that was a mistake, not only for the bill, but also for our national security.” “Marco and Schumer basically had a secret deal to block all amendments,” Rand alleged. Asked specifically about what he would do on the ground in Syria and Iraq against the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria in light of the attack, Paul demurred and responded by again criticizing Rubio and focusing on immigration policy. “I think the main thing we need to know is who’s in our country and are they going to harm us,” he said, again referring to his blocked amendment, which he said would have instituted heightened scrutiny for those seeking to enter the U.S. from 25 countries with radical Islamist elements. As Rubio has surged in recent weeks, he’s become a larger target for his rivals, with Sen. Ted Cruz [suggesting Friday](http://time.com/4112038/ted-cruz-marco-rubio-immigration-2/) that Rubio’s support for the immigration bill meant he supported Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini obtaining a nuclear weapon. Paul added that he was opposed to the U.S. accepting any refugees from ISIS-controlled territory. “I don’t think we need to be admitting large amounts of Syrian refugees into our country,” he said, suggesting that Saudi Arabia should make room for them. **Read Next:** [_Cruz Suggests Rubio Supports Iran Getting Nukes as New GOP Feud Heats Up_](http://time.com/4112038/ted-cruz-marco-rubio-immigration-2/) ### See Photos of Candidates and Their Sweet Rides  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks near his helicopter at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 15, 2015, in Des Moines. Charlie Riedel—AP  Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's van, at left, is parked during a campaign visit on April 14, 2015 in Le Claire, Iowa. Clinton, at right, waves after an even on May 18, 2015 in Mason City, Iowa. From Left: Michael B. Thomas—AFP/Getty Images, Scott Olson—Getty Images  A campaign bus bearing the likeness of Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson is parked near a campaign stop in Jackson, Mich. on Sept. 23, 2015. Luke Sharrett—Bloomberg/Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, center, rides a train to an event in Iowa City, Iowa on Sept. 26, 2015. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Republican presidential candidate John Kasich, at right, rides his campaign bus in Plymouth, New Hampshire on Oct. 14, 2015\. At left, the exterior of Kasich's bus is seen on Oct. 13, 2015, in Bow, N.H. From Left: Jim Cole—AP, Brian Snyder—Reuters  Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz speaks to supporters in front of his campaign bus in Newnan, Ga., on Aug. 8, 2015. Bill Clark—CQ-Roll /Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush gets off his campaign bus in Goffstown, N.H. on Nov. 4, 2015. Gretchen Ertl—Reuters ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4113253/paris-attacks-rand-paul-marco-rubio/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4113253/paris-attacks-rand-paul-marco-rubio/"},"headline":"Rand Paul Uses Paris Attacks to Criticize Marco Rubio","datePublished":"2015-11-14T20:23:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:56.771Z","description":"Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul seized on Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris to criticize GOP presidential rival Sen. Marco Rubio Saturday.","url":"https://time.com/4113253/paris-attacks-rand-paul-marco-rubio/","keywords":["Rand Paul","2016 Election topic","Immigration","Sen. 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