"You've got a candidate who sponsored a bill that I supported to finally solve the immigration problem, and he's running away from it as fast as he can," Obama said.

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"He may express strong anti-immigration sentiment, but you've heard that from the other candidates as well," Obama said of Trump.

Rubio, a Florida senator, was part of the bipartisan Gang of Eight who sponsored the 2013 bill. It cleared the Senate, but was never brought up for a vote in the House.

Rubio said last week that the bill was "never intended to become law" but rather to be made "even better" by conservative members of the House.