[nathanbedford]

Cruz has recently moved to a position very close to Trump on removing illegal immigrants in our midst. He follows the Romney pattern of self deportation combined with vigorous enforcement of deportation laws, prohibition of sanctuary cities, cutting off benefits, tightening up the border, and the apparent elimination of H1B visas and other provisions which facilitate widespread immigration.

Cruz defends his position on not calling for the deportation of illegal immigrants at the time of the struggle over the Gang of Eight amnesty/ citizenship bill, as a legislative maneuver. I have no doubt it was a legislative maneuver but Cruz had also made remarks to the effect that there should be a way for illegals to "come out of the shadows" etc. I think Cruz has changed his views to a point where he is rock solid today on immigrants in our midst.

I think Cruz has been less than honest in denying that he was favoring a kind of amnesty back at that time when that was a major victory because the political climate was calling for citizenship. As a matter of political calculation, Cruz tried to have the issue both ways. After all, there is a dimension beyond the economic cost of illegal immigrants, it is their ability to vote once they attain citizenship (and sanctuary states the ability to vote illegally). Given the political culture at the time, Cruz and Sessions behaved the way legislators have fought since time immemorial.

Trump's intervention concededly changed the entire debate so that deportation of illegals became an acceptable and achievable goal beyond denying citizenship. Trump changed the political climate and Cruz changed his position. I would be more comfortable if Cruz simply said so rather than tap dancing.

On balance, one can way the number and degree of flip-flops committed by Donald Trump in his biography against these questionable allegations now being dredged up against Cruz and there is really no equivalence, Trump's whole biography is a gigantic ego trip of flip-flops.

[katiedidit1]

Trump has changed his position on immigration. When Trump is vetted from the RIGHT, many of his sycophants say all that matters is his stance against illegal immigration... but if you remind them that he chastised Mitt Romney as an immigration hardliner in 2012 and favored comprehensive immigration reform (Trump: “You have to give them a path. You have 20 million, 30 million, nobody knows what it is. It used to be 11 million. Now, today I hear it’s 11, but I don’t think it’s 11. I actually heard you probably have 30 million. You have to give them a path, and you have to make it possible for them to succeed. You have to do that.”), his minions simply say, “that was then, this is now.”
SOURCE: http://www.nationalreview.com/artic...
Ok... So let’s move on to 2015...
6/27/2015: SOUNDS LIKE AMNESTY. Trump tells TMZ, he’d create a “system of merit,” saying people here illegally should have “a road to legal status” if they work hard and contribute to the country.
SOURCE: http://www.tmz.com/2015/06/27/donal...
7/26/2015: ONLY DEPORT THE BAD ONES. Trump: “We have to get the bad ones out, then the other ones; and I am a very big believer of merit system, I have to tell you. Because some of these people have been here, they’ve done a good job, in some cases sadly they’ve been living under the shadows etc, etc, we have to do something, so whether it’s merit, or whether it’s whatever, but I’m a believer in the merit system; if somebody’s been outstanding we try to work something out.”
SOURCE: (7:20 mark) http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/wa...
7/27/2015 (one day later): DEPORT EVERYBODY. Trump: “But the good ones — of which there are many — I want to expedite it so they can come back in legally.”

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

On balance, one can way the number and degree of flip-flops committed by Donald Trump in his biography against these questionable allegations now being dredged up against Cruz and there is really no equivalence,

IOW, Ted Cruz is a liar but Trump has changed his position more often. Gotcha!

That said, your assertion that Cruz is now "solid today" on immigration is unfounded. For the entire campaign cycle, at least after March (wherein, before hand, he supported legalization), Cruz has refused to take legalization off the table, and, at best, says he only "intends" to oppose legalization, which, in legalese, is a "maybe," while e continues to lie to his supporters about ever supporting legalization in the first place.

[Yosemitest]

I don;pt believe TED CRUZ has CHANGED his position from the very start.
Read his "On the Issues" answers below.


They can't stop CRUZ.
Source:

... Cruz even indicated he would back deporting those who came here illegally -- another proposal he has usually rebuffed.

"I would enforce the law," Cruz said, explaining that he would first deport criminals without proper papers.
"Federal immigration law provides that
if someone is here illegally and is apprehended,
that they should be sent back to their home country."

Cruz has recently begun stressing that he believes the number of undocumented immigrants would decrease with strict border enforcement.
...

"The only people I'm under fire from are reporters who want to throw rocks," Cruz said in Harlan.
"Once we've demonstrated that we can solve the problem, then we can have a conversation about what to do about whatever people remain illegally."

The Rubio campaign ...
"He has attempted to muddy the waters," Cruz said on the stage. "Where there was a battle over amnesty
and some chose, like Sen. Rubio to stand with Barack Obama and Chuck Schemer
and support a massive amnesty plan.
Others chose to stand with Jeff Sessions and Steve King and the American people
and secure the border."

Let's get VERY CLEAR on TED CRUZ and Immigration:

Immigration

As the son of a Cuban immigrant, Sen. Cruz celebrates LEGAL immigration.
He has championed measures
to secure the border,
reform the LEGAL immigration system,
and uphold the rule of law.

Americans, and particularly Texans, have witnessed the harmful effects of an unsecure border,
endangering the lives both of citizens and those who enter illegally.
President Obama's policies have encouraged drug smugglers, child abusers, murderers, and other dangerous criminals to traffick immigrant children into our nation under life-threatening conditions.
In the summer of 2013 we witnessed a humanitarian crisis at our Southern Border, propelled by PROMISES OF AMNESTY FROM THE WHITE HOUSE .
Immigrants deserve a better system in which they will be welcomed to the United States safely and with dignity.

As a critical step to protecting families and inviting more people to enter LEGALLY, in 2014, Sen. Cruz proposed legislation TO PREVENT OBAMA FROM ILLEGALLY EXPANDING AMNESTY .
The House acted to solve the ongoing crisis and passed bills that closely mirrored Sen. Cruz's proposals,
but regrettably the Senate DemocRATS REFUSED TO ALLOW A VOTE on the measures.

In 2013, Sen. Cruz proposed amendments to the "Gang of 8" bill that would
strengthen border security,
expand green card opportunities,
increase high-skilled “H1B” visas, PREVENT ILLEGAL ALIENS FROM RECEIVING WELFARE BENEFITS ,
and enforce the rule of law.

ALSO from On The Issues :

Ted Cruz on Immigration

End Obama's illegal amnesty via Congress' checks & balances
Q: How to respond to the split within your party on immigration?
What you're saying is
that the Republicans should vote to fund the governments for all departments except one:
no funding for the Department of Homeland Security,
which handles immigration, rescinding President Obama's executive action,
and if he vetoes that, he's responsible for shutting down the department.
The problem is
that's almost exactly what you did with the government shutdown across the entire government in 2013 with ObamaCare,
and it backfired badly on your party.

CRUZ: All across this country, Republicans campaigned, saying:
if you elect a Republican Senate, we will stop President Obama's illegal amnesty.
We need to HONOR WHAT WE SAID .
We should use the constitutional checks and balances that we have TO REIN IN THE ABUSE OF POWER OF THE EXECUTIVE.
Step #1 is IF the president implements this LAWLESS AMNESTY, that THE SENATE WILL NOT CONFIRM ANY executive or judicial nominees.


Defund amnesty; and refuse any nominees until rescinded

Q: How would you rescind President Obama's executive action on immigration?

CRUZ: We should use the constitutional checks and balances that we have TO REIN IN THE ABUSE OF POWER OF THE EXECUTIVE .
Step #1 that I have called for is the incoming majority leader should announce IF the president implements this LAWLESS AMNESTY, that THE SENATE WILL NOT CONFIRM ANY executive or judicial nominees,
other than VITALl national security positions,
for the next two years,
UNLESS AND UNTIL the president ENDS THIS LAWLESS AMNESTY .
That is AN EXPLICIT AUTHORITY given TO the Senate.

Q: Are you saying the Senate should REFUSE TO CONFIRM the president's new nominee for attorney general?

CRUZ: We have to REIN IN the executive.
And step #2, we've got is THE POWER OF THE PURSE,
and we should FUND ONE AT A TIME the CRITICAL PRIORITIES of the federal government,
but ALSO USE THE POWER OF THE PURSE TO ATTACH RIDERS .


No path to citizenship for 1.65 million illegals in Texas

When discussing what to do about the 1.65 million ILLEGAL immigrants living in Texas, . . . CRUZ again said
HE DID NOT SUPPORT A PATH TO CITIZENSHIP FOR ILLEGAL immigrants living in America, . . .

Give police more power to ask about immigration status

Cruz accused Dewhurst of using his position as head of the Texas Senate to KILL A BILL last year that would have given police more power to ask anyone they detain about their citizenship status--a charge Dewhurst denied.
Both agreed that the US has FAILED TO SECURE ITS BORDER with Mexico,
and said they OPPOSE AMNESTY for ILLEGAL immigrants and the Obama administration's new directive
allowing many young illegal immigrants brought to the US as children to be exempted from deportation.


Boots on the ground, plus a wall

Border wall: James and Leppert OPPOSE A WALL,
Dewhurst and CRUZ tout "boots on the ground" AND A WALL IN SOME PLACES .


Triple the size of the Border Patrol

CRUZ on immigration: Wants to TRIPLE [the]SIZE of Border Patrol.
Says Dewhurst supported in-state tuition for kids of ILLEGAL immigrants.
Dewhurst: I have always been against an amnesty program.
"If they want to be a citizen, they ought to go home and reapply."
Dewhurst says he was against tuition for children of illegal immigrants.


Strengthen border security and increase enforcement

Ted Cruz has worked to STRENGTHEN BORDER SECURITY and help ensure that America remains a nation of laws.
Among other efforts, he has worked on efforts to INCREASE PENALTIES for felons WHO ENTER THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY .
Ted authored a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief on behalf of 10 states in Lopez v. Gonzales,ILLEGALLY .

[Yosemitest]

Let's take a close look at what TED CRUZ said at that time about his amendment to the "Gang of Eight amnesty/ citizenship bill" :

Cruz In 2013 On Providing Legal Status To Illegal Immigrants ( 2:14 )
Published on Nov 12, 2015

U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Hearing, 5/21/2013:
"And I'd like to make a final point to those advocacy groups that are very engaged in this issue
and rightly concerned about addressing our immigration system
and, in particular, about addressing the situation for the 11 million who are currently in the shadows.
If this amendment is adopted to the current bill, the effect would be that those 11 million under this current bill would still be eligible for RPI status.
They would still be eligible for legal status and indeed, under the terms of the bill, they would be eligible for LPR status as well so that they are out of the shadows,
which the proponents of this bill repeatedly point to as THEIR principal objective to provide a legal status for those who are here illegally to be out of the shadows.
This amendment would allow that happen, ...

"But what it would do, is it would REMOVE the pathway to citizenship, for REAL consequences that RESPECT the RULE OF LAW,
and that treat LEGAL Immigrants with the fairness and respect they deserve,
And a second point to those advocates that are so passionately engaged,
In my view, if this committee rejects this amendment,
and I think everyone here views that it is quite likely that this committee will indeed reject this amendment,

In my view that decision will make it much, much more likely that this entire bill will FAIL in the House of Representatives.

I don't want immigration reform to fail.
I want immigration reform to pass.
And so I would urge people of good faith on both sides of the aisle,
if the objective is to pass common sense immigration reform that SECURES THE BORDERS, that improves LEGAL immigration, and that allows those who are here illegally to come in out of the shadows;
then we should look for areas of bipartisan agreement and compromised to come together.
And this amendment,
I believe, if this amendment were to pass, the chances of this bill passing into law would increase dramatically."