Cruz defined the type of "common sense immigration reform" he supported. It included bringing "those who are here illegally out of the shadows," and advised Congress to pass his amendments, which he believed would increase the chances of the bill passing in the House by a significant margin.
Eventually the unamended Gang of Eight bill passed the Senate, and very nearly passed the House, if not for the surprise win of Dave Brat, which had the GOPe in the House thinking twice
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Again, no his version of immigration reform did not include, does not include legalization. He specifically used the Dem talking point “bringing people out of the shadows” in that committee testimony in order to highlight how incredibly false that premise was. They had no grand humanitarian intentions or they would have supported an amendment to remove the path to citizenship.
The Gang of 8 Bill was amended, by the way, just not by Cruz.