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Many Republican
strategists believe that while Donald Trump and Ben Carson are
the current front-runners in the race for the Republican
nomination, the battle could end up being between Cruz and
Rubio, who are getting a close look from voters because of
strong debate performances.
That is why it was notable that Cruz, speaking to conservative
radio talk show host Laura Ingraham, cited Rubio's 2013 attempt
to gain passage in Congress of comprehensive immigration reform.
The reform proposal was criticized by conservatives but promoted
by Rubio and seven other Senators from both parties who were
known as "the gang of Gang of Eight." The plan would have
included a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who met
all the requirements.
The effort collapsed amid partisan acrimony, and illegal
immigration is one of the biggest flashpoints in the fight to
win the Republican nomination for the presidential election in
November 2016.
Cruz, a Texas senator, said that he had sought to add amendments
to the 2013 legislation as part of "a concerted strategy to beat
the Gang of Eight amnesty bill."
Rubio, he said, "opposed every single one of them. Every single
amendment," Cruz said. "The Gang of Eight voted as a gang
against enforcing and securing the border."
Rubio was pressed by reporters on the issue in Hilton Head after
participating in a presidential forum sponsored by the South
Carolina Chamber of Commerce.
"Ted is a supporter of legalizing people that are in this
country illegally,” he said. "In fact, when the Senate bill was
proposed, he proposed giving them work permits."
Rubio said "every single person" on the Republican debate stage
where the issue was debated among eight candidates in Milwaukee
on Tuesday "has supported the legalization of people who are not
here legally."
Rubio, a Florida senator, told the South Carolina forum that any
reform effort must include at the outset ensuring that the U.S.
border with Mexico is sealed off from illegal immigrants because
only then would Americans have confidence to move forward with
granting a legal status to as many as 11 million people.
(Reporting By Steve Holland)
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