You don’t understand that the whole point of the amendments was to be able to demonstrate in the press that the gang of eight didn’t want legalization but instead would only settle for immigration. Thus he made press statements talking about how his amendments would give legalization but not citizenship. He did this knowing that his amendments would be rejected and thus create a wedge between the most hardline amnesty supporters like Rubio and wavering conservatives who were debating whether or not to support the gang of eight bill. His strategy worked and the gang of eight bill was defeated. Maybe you would have preferred that he made a futile speech against amnesty and then sat on the sidelines and allowed it too pass.
You don't seem to understand that Cruz's team has been endorsing the concept of granting legal status since 2013, even in interviews given long after the Gang of Eight bill was already history. And into our present year, Cruz has AVOIDED the subject of deportation as much as possible, and only, for the first time, is engaging in revisionist history as a result of Rubio's posting of that one video (and there are more like it!).