Secretary of State Marco Rubio always looks like a whipped dog when he's out in public, especially around his boss Donald Trump, leading many observers to assume he's a reluctant participant in the authoritarian agenda of the White House. Before going full MAGA, Rubio had fashioned himself an opponent of the autocratic oppression Trump embraces. He even used to pretend his family had emigrated from Cuba to flee the dictatorship of Fidel Castro, finding refuge in the United States, where they were "welcomed by the most compassionate people on all the Earth." A lovely story but untrue, as Rubio's parents left before Castro's rise to power. Still, the anecdote leads some to believe that Rubio knows his complicity with Trump's fascist designs is wrong.
Whatever is in his heart, though, there can be no denying that Rubio is pushing some of the most aggressive policies attacking First Amendment protections for free speech and freedom of religion. Last week, the Associated Press revealed a memo signed by Rubio declaring the power to deport legal immigrants for "beliefs, statements, or associations that are otherwise lawful." Rubio has supported the arrest of legal residents for exercising their right to free speech and has been busy revoking the visas of hundreds of international students who have committed no crime other than disagreeing with Trump's political opinions. One student wasn't even targeted for political reasons, but she does research in biology, a field that the Trump administration looks at with hostility.
