Fox Business Network debate moderator Maria Bartiromo said Wednesday she should have pressed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio harder on his immigration stance.

Bartiromo said time constraints forced moderators to cut many of the questions they planned to ask. But she agreed during an appearance on “The Laura Ingraham Show” that she and other moderators could have asked Rubio about his participation in the so-called Gang of Eight in the Senate. That group tried to pass comprehensive immigration reform, which included a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the nation.

The 2013 deal was dead on arrival at the Republican controlled House of Representatives.

Ingraham noted the question Rubio did get during the debate dealt with the rise of machines and automation in the workplace. Bartiromo acknowledged the question should have been more immigration-focused.

“But you cannot look at the jobs market today without considering the fact that we’ve got foreigners coming in and taking jobs that Americans need,” Bartiromo said.

“That question should have been asked, it’s true.” she said. “Because I think that conservatives wanted to hear him on the record. But what (Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief) Gerry Baker was going for there was the changing jobs market. But you cannot look at the jobs market today without considering the fact that we’ve got foreigners coming in and taking jobs that Americans need.”

Bartiromo said Baker could have found a way to combine questions about automation and immigration.

“He should have mushed the question together of foreigners coming in but also machines,” she said. “Because the truth is, the economy’s changing. And companies are replacing people with machines. There’s no doubt about it.

“We were trying to consolidate questions, I think, and that did get lost in the mix, and it’s unfortunate. People want to see his feet held to the fire on this issue.”