Immigration is a big deal in Florida, so why is the state MIA in meeting with Trump?

WASHINGTON – Florida has as much of a stake in the immigration debate as any state yet is noticeably unrepresented at a bipartisan meeting on the issue today with President Trump.

Only Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, appeared on the list of attendees for the 11:30 a.m. meeting, which seeks to find a way forward on a matter that is as vexing as it is pressing, with hundreds of thousands of "Dreamers" in the balance.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who helped write the 2013 "Gang of 8" bill, would seem a natural. But Rubio, politically damaged by that role, has stayed away from the debate since being re-elected and running for president.

Rubio was chairing a meeting this morning on the sonic attacks against diplomats in Cuba. A spokeswoman did not respond to a question if he was invited to the White House. (UPDATE: Rubio weighs in … see below)

Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson was not invited, his office said.

Rubio was asked about immigration on Fox News this morning and he painted Democrats as obstructionists.

"I think there's a lot of political posturing on the Democrats' side. A lot of the things they're now against are things they voted for: building a wall, bigger enforcement, moving to a merit-based system where we're allowing people into the country based on what skills they have to contribute in the new economy, not just based on how many family members you have living here. These are all components of and ideas from a bill they voted for in 2013," he said.

"Here's the bottom line though, you can't shut down the American government. You can't shut down the government of the United States over DACA. And you can't be against anything because of the building of a wall. We have a fundamental obligation. Even if there was no DACA, even if there were no illegal immigrants in the United States – we still have a fundamental obligation to keep our country safe and a physical barrier on significant portions of the southern border are a key part of that. And it's something they've supported in the past but now for symbolic and political reasons, they're against it. So the Democrats are the ones threatening to shut down the government because of the need to build a wall, and that's absurd."

Lawmakers attending the White House meeting:

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-CO
Sen. John Cornyn, R-TX
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-AR
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-AZ
Sen. Cory Gardner, R-CO
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-IA
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-ND
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-HI
Sen. James Lankford, R-OK
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-NJ
Sen. David Perdue, R-GA
Sen. Jon Tester, D-MT
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-TX
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-FL
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-VA
Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-MD
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-CA
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-TX
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-MS

Rep. Martha McSally, R-Arizona
Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho

UPDATE: Rubio's office says he was asked about the meeting following the Cuba hearing.

"I trust the people that are working," Rubio told reporters. "I'm glad that there are some new voices involved in this – like Senator Lankford and Tillis and others. I hope we can reach a conclusion. We can't shut down the government because of DACA. I don't understand this resistance to border security. It's an issue that the vast majority of Americans support. It was authorized by Congress years ago and hasn't been built. It was part of the bill we passed in 2013. … This time it's being conducted through the Judiciary Committee. And so you see members on there, like Grassley and others, taking the leadership. And the other is I'm glad that there's new members involved. That people that the last time weren't there, that are now involved in it. I think that's good that there are new voices involved in this debate, like Senator Lankford and Tillis as I said, and Cotton and Perdue and others that are engaged. So that's a positive development."