'That Is Not What You Said At the Time': Bret Baier Confronts Cruz on Previous Immigration Remarks

theblaze.com ^ | Dec. 16, 2015

[Helicondelta]

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was confronted by a Fox News Channel host Wednesday over previous comments he had previously made in favor of legalizing individuals who are in the U.S. illegally.

The line of questioning was prompted by an exchange over immigration Cruz had with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) at Tuesday night's GOP debate.

'Special Report' host Bret Baier played a 2013 clip of Cruz introducing an amendment that would have stripped out a proposal for a pathway to citizenship from the gang of eight’s so-called 'amnesty' bill. Cruz boasted at the time his amendment would have allowed illegal immigrants to remain in the country legally.

'They would still be eligible for legal status and indeed, under the terms of the bill, they would be eligible for LPR [Lawful Permanent Resident] 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,' Cruz said at the time.

[lewislynn]

'That Is Not What You Said At the Time': Bret Baier Confronts Cruz on Previous Immigration Remarks

Hey Cruz supporters have been bitching about Trump getting all the media attention...Bitch no more.

Be careful what you wish for.

Poison pill Poison pill Poison pill Poison pill Poison pill.

Was he lying then or is he lying now?

[for-q-clinton]

I this when happened...it was obvious that was that goal was citizenship so rats could more voters.

[for-q-clinton]

Dang what happened m to my text.?

[for-q-clinton]

I remember when this happened...it was obvious that the goal was citizenship so rats could get more voters.cruz was exposing them with his amendments.

[867V309]

Be careful what you wish for.

Poison pill Poison pill Poison pill Poison pill Poison pill.

I don't care who you're for, that there's funny.

[Reno89519]

I’ve just watched the show. I’ve always thought Cruz was being coy in his answers, less than transparent. Now, seeing tonight’s program, clearly Cruz is better viewed as a liar. Very sad. His undoing.

[dp0622]

Why would anyone who is conservative still watch Fox?

I like Trump, but the myriad of past FAR from conservative comments that he has made would have been great fodder had any other opponent had the brains to use them in a commercial.

I am HOPING that he really has done a complete 180 on MANY positions, but wow, does he get a lot of leeway on that front.

These comments weren’t centuries ago, they as recent as several years.

He thought Rmoney was too hard in illegals.

He dies more with democrat positions.

Single payer health care.

I personally believe he was playing the game as a moderate because in NYC it is quite hard for business if you are an unabashed conservative.

And also, people grow wiser with age (most).

But I dont understand all the flak Cruz gets for several inconsistent statements when he doesn’t have NEARLY the number of contradictory views and statements from the past.

Go ahead now, kill me.

I grew up in NYC and have always liked Trump, will vote for him in generals, and his stands have been courageous, but let’s not be too quick to turn on Ted.

[Yosemitest]

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 .

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."

The intent was TO EXPOSE the "ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS" AND THE DemocRATS for their dishonesty.
THEY were trying to LEGISLATE the ILLEGAL ALIENS a PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP.

TED CRUZ was trying to amend the Bill so as TO STOP THEM,

by REMOVING 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,

[ConservativeMind]

That is a convenient excuse for apparent lies from Cruz. Cruz has spoken plenty that he now says he never believed.

From Cruz’s website:

“... I was pleased today to offer legislation that would have improved and expanded legal immigration by dramatically increasing the cap for high-tech temporary worker visas. This amendment would not only improve the current system, but would also encourage economic growth and create new jobs in America. There is currently a serious shortage of workers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, yet every year we send thousands of high-tech graduate students back to their home countries to start businesses and create jobs. This makes no sense. I’m disappointed in the committee’s vote to reject expanding high-tech immigration. Although the Gang of Eight’s bill makes a modest step towards improving high-tech immigration, it does not go nearly far enough. There is no reason to arbitrarily cap high-tech visas at 110,000 when these jobs are going unfilled. We need economic growth here and now.”

http://www.cruz.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=137

The truth about available STEM grads (from the same month and year):

America Has More Trained STEM Graduates than STEM Job Opening
http://cis.org/more-us-stem-grads-than-jobs

[frnewsjunkie]

So Bret doesn’t like Cruz. That’s good enough for me to know Cruz is on the right track.

The more they do to my 2 picks.. the more I’m sure they are the best choice. You don’t hear bret going after Jeb... or rubio... they have the microphone and camera to smear anyone they want. I used to think the microphone and camera were 2 items that were treated with respect and for the people. NOT any more.. they are tools for the left to smear and destroy.

[skr]

bfl

[Norm Lenhart]

Liberals enjoy supporting the MSM with their dish/cable dollars. They enjoy consuming leftist propaganda and they enjoy coming to FR to spread it.

Thats why.

[dp0622]

THANK YOU!!!

[dp0622]

well, we cant all by like Trump and have NO contradictory statements from the past, except like 500 or so.

If we’re gonna let those slide, i think a few from Ted can.

[dp0622]

I LIKE that Trump has said things unabashedly that others (besides Cruz) wont.

He is a household name so his comment spread far and fast and wide.

For some reason, he gets to say thing that would sink others, like going after the families of terrorists, which I agree with.

But WHEN did Cruz become the Villain!?!?!

Trump says it’s important to get along in congress. He is going to catch HELL if he sins, and that’s good. That’ll mean he’s doing the right thing.

Like Cruz HAS been doing.

[Yosemitest]

My pleasure/
We gotta confront this slander, just as soon as they puke out their LIES !

[Norm Lenhart]

As I have said for years, FR is lousy with liberals. They torpedoed Palin. They pushed Romney, Mitch and Jonbon. They have made excuses for everything the GOP has done to assist Obama.

It’s all there on the pages of FR going back nearly a decade. Many of the same names from election to election, though some come and go. Same excuses. Nothing is done to stop them. Just a handful of us pushing back.

Liberals destroy good. It’s what they do. It’s who they are. Pure sub human garbage.

[raybbr]

Great post. Too bad even some here won’t see the truth.

[papertyger]

Great post. Too bad even some here won’t see the truth.

Or maybe it just doesn't bother them because they don't believe Trump will make the sky fall....