Marco Rubio "applauding" Obama's New Illegal Alien Deportation Policy

A GOP senator on the short list to be Mitt Romney’s running mate is applauding President Obama’s move to forego deportations for some illegal immigrants.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said the more lenient policy is “welcome news” for those immigrants who will benefit, though he was quick to knock the administration for acting unilaterally.

“Today’s announcement will be welcome news for many of these kids desperate for an answer, but it is a short term answer to a long term problem,” the Cuban-American Rubio said in a statement. “And by once again ignoring the Constitution and going around Congress, this short term policy will make it harder to find a balanced and responsible long term one.”

Rubio’s comments are a stark contrast to those coming from other Republicans, who are blasting the new rules as a threat to U.S. jobs and – in the words of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) – “possibly illegal.”

Rubio’s remarks also further complicate the position of GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who took a hard conservative line against illegal immigrants amid the heat of the GOP primary but is now searching for ways to soften that stance to appeal to Hispanic voters, who will be vital in a number of swing states in November.