Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, said the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will end even before enacting congressional immigration reform.

Speaking to reporters in Manchester, New Hampshire on Wednesday, Rubio said President Barack Obama's June 2012 immigration executive action "will have to end at some point."

DACA has been a program for undocumented immigrant youths under the age of 31, as of June 15, 2012, and had been in the U.S. before June 15, 2007. DACA applicants are subjected to requirements from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), while applications are reviewed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency. Once USCIS approves an applicant, the DACA recipient may stay in the U.S. for two, renewable, years. Since its implementation, and as of June 30, USCIS have approved more than one million DACA applications.

"I've already said we shouldn't be signing up new people to the program," said Rubio. "We should stop new enrollment. This program has now been around for three years if you haven't signed up by now. We shouldn't -- we're not going to extend the program. DACA is going to end, and the ideal way for it to end is that it's replaced by a reform system that creates an alternative but if it doesn't, it will end, it cannot be the permanent policy of the United States."

The Florida senator's remarks sparked quick criticisms from Latino advocacy groups and lawmakers.

In a statement sent to Latin Post, fellow Latino Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., defended the DACA program and recognized that the Latino electorate are becoming more aware of the anti-immigrant rhetoric along the campaign trail.

"While there might be a race to the bottom to attack Latinos and immigrant families, the fact is DACA stands as living proof that America benefits when an undocumented individual is allowed the opportunity to fully contribute to the economy through their ingenuity, skills, and hard work," said Menendez. "This latest attack on young DREAMers is indicative of the jam the GOP candidates are in when it comes to the fastest growing voting bloc in our nation. The road to the White House is not feasible without the support of Latinos, yet they can't get through a primary without capitulating to right-wing radicals."

Rubio's DACA stance, however, isn't necessarily a new platform. Last April during an interview with Jorge Ramos, Rubio also said DACA "will have to end at some point, and I hope it will end because of some reforms to the immigration laws."

"I don't think we can immediately revoke that," said Rubio, later adding, "It cannot be the permanent policy of the United States but I'm not calling for it to be revoked tomorrow, or this week or right away."

The notable difference with Rubio's statement in April and on Nov. 4 is the plan to eliminate DACA even before Congress works on immigration reform.

"Marco Rubio just said unequivocally that he would deport DREAMers whether or not Congress passes immigration reform. After turning his back on comprehensive immigration reform, this doesn't come as a surprise, but it's still deeply upsetting that Marco Rubio would be so extreme as to deport children who were raised in the United States and call this country home," said Carlos A. Sanchez, coordinator of political campaigns at People for the American Way, a progressive organization. "There's no question now that on immigration, Marco Rubio is as extreme as the rest of the Republican Party."

Maria Teresa Kumar, president and CEO of the Voto Latino Action Network, said Rubio's latest DACA comment was a personal attack for young immigrants, their families and the Latino community. Kumar added that Rubio is "taking marching orders" from extremists who prefer a "deport-only strategy" and separate families.

"DREAMers in the United States are carrying the hopes of their families and the promise for our country's future. This is a clear indication of the type of anti-immigrant and anti-Latino leadership Latinos can expect from a President Rubio," said Kumar.

According to Obama, the immigration executive actions occurred due to the lack of congressional action on immigration reform. Obama has said on numerous occasions that he will withdraw the deferred action program once Congress passes a reform bill. In November 2014, Obama said, "[The] best way if folks are serious about getting immigration reform done is going ahead and passing a bill and getting it to my desk. And then the executive actions that I take go away."

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

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