As an underdog U.S. Senate candidate courting the GOP's conservative wing, Marco Rubio takes a hard-line position against illegal immigration: no amnesty.

But as the powerful speaker of the Florida House, presented with a slew of bills aimed at curbing illegal immigration, he didn't put a single proposal up for a vote.

``A lot of us are mad at him because he did block those bills,'' said David Caulkett, a founder of Floridians for Immigration Enforcement. ``Rubio claims to be anti-amnesty, but the question is, `Do we trust him?' .''

Rubio says he hasn't wavered in his opposition to granting citizenship to illegal immigrants but that the issue should be dealt with by the federal government, not the states. The Legislature was focused on tax and insurance reform on his watch, he said.

``We picked one or two key issues,'' Rubio said in a recent interview. ``States can't solve illegal immigration.''

Rubio's record on immigration is under scrutiny now that the issue is on his agenda and his bid against Gov. Charlie Crist for the Republican nomination is gaining ground. Immigration was nowhere to be found in the book of 100 Innovative Ideas for Florida's Future he compiled as House speaker; now it's among nine issues addressed on his campaign website.

The son of Cuban exiles born in Miami says he opposed the proposal spearheaded in 2006 by former Sen. Mel Martinez -- whose early retirement triggered Rubio's 2010 campaign -- that would have allowed illegal immigrants to work toward citizenship. Crist supported the bill.

On the campaign trail, Rubio sometimes refers to ``illegal aliens,'' a term some immigrant advocates find offensive.

``His tone has changed on the subject, and to me it's very obvious that it's for political reasons,'' said state Rep. Juan Zapata of Miami, a Crist supporter and an executive committee member of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.

LEGISLATURES

After immigration reform collapsed in Congress, state legislatures around the country clamored to fill the void. In 2008, 1,305 bills were considered and 206 were enacted around the country, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The half-dozen bills in the Florida House that year would have penalized farmers who hire illegal workers, required proof of citizenship to receive government benefits, encouraged police to turn in suspected illegal immigrants and allowed illegal immigrants serving time to be deported to their home countries.

As House speaker, Rubio wielded sweeping powers over whether bills fizzled or coasted to the floor for votes. The immigration-related bills were relegated to a public workshop, allowing lawmakers to hear from activists on both sides of the issue without voting. State Rep. David Rivera of Miami, a top Rubio lieutenant, gave an impassioned speech about the economic contributions of undocumented workers on Florida's economy as landscapers, maids, dishwashers and farmworkers.

``The bills didn't get at the real problem, which was employers hiring illegal immigrants,'' Rivera said Friday. ``Rubio at least brought the issue to the forefront, which is more than any other speaker has done.''

Rubio said it's unfair to blame him for the bills' failure, noting that their counterparts in the Senate also languished. After he left office, the bills continued to flounder.

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